On Saturday February 20th, Phoenix Military Academy’s Louder Than A Bomb team competed at their first preliminary LTAB bout at Columbia College Chicago.

The team consist of 6 poets: senior Yajari Popoca, juniors Sammy Ortega, Jacqueline  Peralta, Francisco Franco and Matthew Wilbourn  and freshman Josseline Monzanares, with coaches Mr.Waller and Ms.Sutton.

PMA’s LTAB team has been working hard the past couple of months by staying late after school or practicing early in the morning to make it to Semi Finals and hopefully win first place.

At the bout on Saturday, the poets spoke about how American people  try to fit into Hispanic culture, how Jesus is portrayed as a caucasian when in reality he was born in the Middle East, how gun violence affects loved ones, Chicago Public Schools and its low funding and teacher cuts, and a poem of Santa Claus impersonating Rahm Emanuel.

The group piece was about Donald Trump getting fired.

With many of the school’s poets scored high scores of 9s and 10s, Phoenix took first place. Now moving onto their second preliminary bout that is taking place on Thursday, February 25th.