West Orange High To Host 'Poetry Out Loud' Finals

From West Orange High School: The spoken word will be highlighted at the Eleventh Annual Poetry Out Loud finals at West Orange High School on Jan. 4, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium located on the Pleasant Valley Way side of the campus at 51 Conforti Avenue.

The vision of Poetry Out Loud is described as “a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.”

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, which is organized into local, regional, state and national competitions.

The winner of the Jan. 4 Poetry Out Loud finals will move on to regional competition. Several hundred students at West Orange High School participated in the selection process. Escriptus, the English Honor Society at WOHS, is presenting, organizing and running the event.

Students will each recite two poems, the first a required poem and the second a poem selected from an approved list. Following the second round, a winner and runner-up will be named.

This year's finalists are:
Ninth Grade
Rachel Favetta
Darlene Folas
Ashlea Hume
Izzy Soto, Jr.

Tenth Grade
Orianna Carter
Daniella Rodriguez

Eleventh Grade
Anna Favetta
Juaquin Goodbar

Twelfth Grade
Sophia Adelson
Elijah Chilton
Janiya Peters
Bianca Trinidad

The 2017 Team of Judges are Professor David Borkowski, William Paterson University English professor, Michelle Martino, K-5 English Language Arts Supervisor, Elizabeth Veneziano, 6-12 ELA Supervisor, Tynia Thomassie, former Escriptus advisor and Technology Integration Specialist, and Amber McCleese, 2015 WOHS Poetry Out Loud winner.

For more information, contact Escriptus Advisor Molly Wachtel at mwachtel@westorangeschools.org or visit the Poetry Out Loud website.

Image via Pixabay