West Orange Student is State Runner-Up in Poetry Out Loud Contest

West Orange's own Clarissa Lotson clinched the runner-up position in New Jersey's Poetry Out Loud Competition.

The competition, now in its seventh year, is a national recitation program for high school students.

Kristin Tsuo of The Lawrenceville School was named state champion and will move on to the national finals in Washington, D.C.

Lotson, a senior, received $100, a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, and $200 for her school library.

Last year Lotson won the state competition but was eliminated in the national finals.

The program began with a and then advanced to regional and states. The competition will culminate with the national finals.

The national contest was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and required students to memorize and perform a contemporary poem and a pre-20th-century poem.