Swampscott High Senior Makes Some Noise in Poetry Out Loud Competition

Swampscott High senior Jackie Thomsen brought home a sixth-place finish in the state Poetry Out Loud competition.

In the finals, 23 students recited poems at the Old South Meeting House in Boston on March 10.

They had learned their poems by heart and were scored on their presentations.

"We are tremendously proud of her," said Holly Flanagan, a SHS English teacher. "As a senior who has participated in POL for four years, and all-round student who embodies SHS' Core Values of both academic and civic/social expectations, Jackie is well-deserving of this accomplishment."

This was Jackie's second time representing Swampscott in the state Poetry Out Loud competition.

She earned the opportunity in 2013 by placing first in the SHS competition Wednesday, Feb. 13, and advancing from the semifinals at the Cape Cod Poetry Out Loud competition on March 3.

In the beginning, more than 20,000 students from 82 schools took part in the contest in Massachusetts.

Jackie is no stranger to performing.

She sings in the school chorus and performs in school dramatic productions.

In an earlier Jackie said she hopes to study journalism in college, and has found much value in her many years of participation in the performing arts.

“I definitely learned a lot about self-confidence and public speaking from being involved in the arts,” she reflects, “It has given me a really strong foundation that I will always have.”