William Floyd High School Senior Wins Poetry Competition

Press release from William Floyd School District:

March 8, 2022

William Floyd High School senior Amber Martinez has won the Long Island Regional Poetry Out Loud competition and is now taking her literary and linguistic talents to the New York State finals! The state final will be held virtually on Saturday, March 12, as Amber vies for the New York State championship against her peers from across the state.

Amber, a student in Lillian Bilello’s AP English Literature and Composition class, is active in her school community. She currently serves as president of the Business Honor Society, is a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the National Honor Society and the Music Honor Society. She enjoys playing her violin in the high school orchestra, singing and acting. She is also a member of Teens Teach Technology, which is a community of high school students who strive to bridge the generational gap and empower senior citizens by teaching them the basics of technology. Amber also enjoys taking acting and singing classes, and has recently joined Clear Talent Group, a New York City talent agency. Amber aspires to attend Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and to pursue a degree in finance. She hopes to one day work as a hedge fund manager and start her own hedge fund.

Please click here to see Amber’s performance in the regional competition. She recites her poems at the 9:17, 21:43 and 34:38 marks. She is announced as the winner near the end of the video at the 40:15 mark.

Congratulations, Amber! Best of luck in the state competition!

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition, open to students in grades 9-12. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about diverse poets and their work. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation partner with US state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. Teachers & Writers Collaborative manages Poetry Out Loud in New York state, in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts.

Click here to read the recap of the William Floyd High School Poetry Out Loud competition.

This press release was produced by William Floyd School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.