Student Wins 'Poetry Out Loud' Competition

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Desiree DeMelfi, an 11th grader at William Floyd High School, has made the district proud.

Desiree was announced recently as the winner of the first schoolwide “Poetry Out Loud” competition, a national program that encourages students to learn about classic and iconic poetry through memorization and recitation as they master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about how poetry can enrich their lives, the district said.

Next, she'll compete against other high school poets at the Long Island Regional Poetry Out Loud competition at Stony Brook University on Feb. 12, the district said.

The winner of that competition will represent Long Island in the state finals in Syracuse, NY, in March; accompanying Desiree to Stony Brook University will be runner-up, senior, Bonny Tran, the district said.

School officials thanked the contest's coordinators, Viveca Nargi, Liz Andreopoulos and Greg Gunder, judges Principal Phil Scotto, Christine Goodyear, Amanda Irish and Stacy Redmond, and score tabulator, Christine Rosado.

Photo courtesy William Floyd School District.