
Shelly Shen '26
Oct 18, 2024
As Mercersburg welcomed changing leaves and the chill in the wind, students gathered on the Irvine Hall porch to watch or perform in another Spoken Word. This fall's Spoken Word drew a large crowd excited to see how the show would turn out.
Spoken Word began with Thomas Zhu’s ‘26 cello concerto solo, a classical yet epic piece of music that set the tone for a formal yet no less calming and intimate environment. According to Michele Poacelli, a huge modification to the entire event is the addition of musical talents, such as singing and instrumentals. “Spoken Words don't need to be literal,” said Poacelli after the show. “I think it’s just the idea of a sharing of expression, whether it’s spoken expression, musical expression, but just the sharing of expressions important to students.”
There was a mixture of musical and literary elements. William Luo ‘27 sang with the accompaniment of an African drum, Pema Namdol ‘27 sang with Jerry Jin ‘26, Ethan Stiffler sang and played the guitar, and Reagan Houpt ‘25 gave a dramatic story on his real-life experience with skunk’s stink being mistaken for a chemical burning. A few freshmen also performed exceptionally as rising stars for the Mercersburg Academy. Poetry, sing-alongs, and comedy performances all received applause and encouragement.
The song performances that stood out came from Kaodi Nzeribe ‘28, Luo, and Kesienna Mononia ‘28 gaining high audience engagement and attracting much support from their friends even though the performers experienced awkwardness and nervousness initially. “I loved William’s piece. He was playing a drum but the whole audience was singing along, and it felt really cohesive,” said Anne Sehon ‘25, one of the two hosts of this season’s show.
This year also offered special memories for the returning students, who either decided to change up their usual expressive styles or take a new step forward to honor the past. Cohost Sehon decided to read a poem instead of performing a song, and the other host, Houpt, offered a reading piece for entertainment.
Poacelli expressed great appreciation to those who volunteered and spent time setting up for the event. “That whole atmosphere, the way it felt cozy, was all thanks to Ms. Dumont. She bought those red tablecloths, she thought about the set up with the tables, with how pretty they were with the candles with the little red leaves.”
This event helped to conclude the first half of the fall term and effectively demonstrated the cozy communal spirit that links everyone together through talent-sharing and unique engagement with one another.