Senior Christina Green will be competing at the State Poetry Out Loud competition. Photo by: Pauline Dagaas
By Pauline Dagaas
Each year, hundreds of students participate in the national Poetry Out Loud Competition, including those of Plymouth High School. Though this form of literature is not the most popular amongst teenagers today, as it turns out, there is more to it than meets the eye.
“I was not involved with Poetry Out Loud growing up; I don’t believe our school, or the state for that matter, offered it”, Coffman states. There to help them along the way, is English teacher and head of the PHS section for this contest, Mr. Coffman. As it is, this competition is relatively new and is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation. Students from PHS have already competed at the school level. Senior Christina Green earned first place with also Senior Victoria Rose Maclain following close behind. As winner of the school division, Green will proceed to the state level and if successful, move on to the national finals held in Washington D.C.
The process of getting to nationals, however, is quite difficult. Students must select a poem to memorize and perform it in front of a chosen group who will judge them based on the following criteria: physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Coffman personally advises potential contestants to select a poem that is both challenging and personal. Also, when practicing try and visualize how he or she would like to perform it.
“The hardest part is memorizing a full poem…that doesn’t rhyme!” says Senior Elizabeth Oviedo, a contestant. Over the years, Senior Elizabeth Oveido has developed a passion for this type of literature. For the contest, she selected a piece by Juan Santiago Baca titled “Who Understands Me but Me”. “I chose it because it’s about someone who finds beauty in things that aren’t beautiful at all,” she comments. Along with memorization and the poem’s technicalities she may face, poetry reciting may prove to be a bit of a challenge. Yet through the time and dedication she has put into her piece, she hopes audience members will gain a sense of what the author is trying to show and that it will “speak to the reader”. When asked his personal input on what he wishes students to gain, Mr. Coffman states, “I hope students will acquire a yearning for poetry, a desperate need to understand what makes us all tick.”
Coffman encourages students to enter this competition in the future, which also holds various benefits. “Besides bragging rights, it looks great on a resume and awards students an opportunity for scholarships,” he explains. “Practically speaking, it forces close reading, voice and presence, and a better appreciation for poetry.”
Evidently, involvement in this program can only better the contestant and hopefully, they too, will learn to appreciate the true beauty of this art.
Senior Christina Green will be competing at the State Poetry Out Loud competition.