Students memorize and recite poems for Poetry Out Loud competition

Duanesburg High School students competed in the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition in late-January. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.

February 5, 2006 - John David Ganther showed further evidence of his talent on Tuesday, January 31, when he won the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition (Ganther was recently cast as the male lead in the Schenectady Light Opera’s performance of Once On This Island).

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition created in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The contest begins at the classroom level with students selecting poems to memorize and perform from the Poetry Out Loud anthology and Web site. Classroom winners move on to a school-wide competition, with the winner advancing to the state competition. 

Approximately 14 Duanesburg High School students participated in the school-wide competition in front of an audience made up of their peers, school staff and family members. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.
 
“It was a true pleasure to see the turn out of friends and family to hear poetry recited,” said High School English Teacher Donna Prescott. “Hopefully, students get the idea that poetry can be enjoyable, not something that English teachers inflict upon students.”

Three finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on the complexity of the poems chosen and the ease and naturalness in reciting. Ganther recited the two poems "A Supermarket in California" by Allen Ginsberg and "In a Dark Time" by Theodore Roethke. Second-place winner Bryn Delaney selected "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. Third-place recipient Danielle Tomeck selected "Hysteria" by Dionisio D. Martinez and "Litany" by Billy Collins.

Due to a conflict, Ganther is unable to attend the state competition at the New York State Museum on March 8. However, second-place winner Bryn Delaney will represent Duanesburg at the state competition in his place.
 

> Back