On Friday January 24th, students competed in the final round of Poetry Out Loud during Choice Block. Students were assigned to choose a poem to memorize in order to perform to try and win, and compete in the next round of the competition.
The competition kicked off with jazz performance by a group of IACS students called The Red House Collective, Tom Bojsen, Tyler Donkoh-Halm, and Andrew Shapiro. This was followed by a short introduction from Mrs Ford including an intro to the competition judges, which led into the first competitor Amy Clements’ performance.
Students who had made it to the final round included: Amy Clements, Daniella Chaves, Tess Colella, Georgia Row, Hannah George, Colin O’Neil, Caitlyn Pennie, and Chloe Kefauver.
Each student had to prepare two poems each as there were two rounds of the competition. Some of these poems included The Albatross by Kate Bass (performed by Clements), Harina de Castilla by Sandra M. Castillo (perfromed by Chaves.)
Volunteer judges included IACS Dean of Faculty Claire. Ringwall, Tyngsborough Public Library Director Susanna Arthur, Burlington High School English Chair Shannon Janovitz, and Burlington High School Teacher-Librarian Callie Grahamn.
Accuracy judge Ringwall scored students on a scale from 0-8 based on any accuracy mistakes. Other categories included: Voice and Articulation, Dramatic Appropriateness, Physical Presence, Evidence of Understanding, and Overall, which were scored by the other three judges.
The winner of this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition was Andrew Shapiro, who will compete in the state semifinals in March. Runner ups included first Georgia Row, and second Hannah George.
The Red House Collective, Tom Bojsen, Tyler Donko-Halm, and Andrew Shapiro
