PAWTUCKET – On May 23rd, Pawtucket students “slammed” tobacco as part of World No Tobacco Day (observed on May 31st) at the Blackstone Valley Visitor’s Center. Students from the City’s elementary schools submitted poetry encouraging a tobacco-free lifestyle, and were then selected to participate in the poetry slam.

Now in the 14th year, the collaboration between the School Department, the Cancer Prevention Task Force and the Pawtucket Prevention Coalition gives students an outlet for their creativity, passion, and advocacy of a tobacco free lifestyle.

The school winners competed for on grand prized winner of the 2019 Anti-Tobacco Poetry Slam in the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center. Prior to competing, each student was coached and mentored by Damont Combs or Jay Chatelle. Combs is the 2018 National Poet of the Year and winner of the Indie Author Legacy Award. Chattelle is a five time award winning Pawtucket Poet Laureate, a published recording artist, as well as a producer, director, and host of Rhode Island Public, Education, & Government Access Television.

Teresa Chopoorian, Chair of the Cancer Prevention Task Force, Diane Dufresne, Director of the Pawtucket Prevention Coalition, and members of the taskforce judged the poets.

2019 Poetry Slam Participants:

Delia Macedo                         Varieur

Kyle Lapanne                         Nathanael Greene

Leah Sanchez-Perez               Potter Burns

Andrea Martinez                    Winters

Aiden Cerone                          Agnes Little

Jaleen Ramos                          Fallon

Ephraim Jean-Baptiste           Curvin McCabe

Aniza Quiroga                        Baldwin

Brianna Silva                          Curtis

Idel Gomes                             Cunningham

The winner will be announced at the Anti-Tobacco celebration held on Friday, May 31st at Slater Mill from 6pm to 8pm.

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For Immediate Release
May 23, 2019
Contact: Wil Arboleda
401-728-0500 ext. 358