By Ava Moore and Mena Monroe
It’s almost eight o’clock on a Tuesday night, and Madame Harlan is shuffling through a small crowd to pass out the white pumpkins she’s carrying in a plastic bag. The pumpkins are for her students she just watched perform in Vestavia Hills High School’s school-wide Poetry Out Loud Competition.
While the Poetry Out Loud Competition was started by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in 2005, this was VHHS’s first time hosting this competition. Each student selected, memorized, and performed a poem– ranging from classic works by Emily Dickinson to contemporary pieces by Nick Flynn– to compete for a spot at the regional competition.
In total, nine students competed in the event: Hunter Carroll, Anna Kate Bailey, Ella Brown, Kate Güven, Reva Lingala, Mena Monroe, Ava Moore, and Natalie Turnage. Congratulations to all the students who poured their hearts into reciting enthralling poems! The winner of the competition was senior Rishab Samant who gave a powerful recitation of Suma Subramaniam’s “Filter.” When asked about his experience, Samant remarked, “I’m genuinely so happy I decided to compete this year! I really think it’s a great experience for everyone to do at some point in high school because it really taught me to branch out and explore performance more… Everyone was so encouraging, and, more than anything, I think we all just had fun doing it (which is so important). I really recommend it to anyone and everyone!”
Although Samant is a veteran speech and debate competitor, students of all different backgrounds competed. Some, like Anna Kate Bailey who’s involved in track, and Hunter Caroll who’s a member of the school’s swim and dive team, had never performed before. Reflecting on the event, Bailey says, “It was a great experience! I think it was definitely out of my comfort zone, but the people made it so positive!”
Senior Natalie Turnage, the lead in the school’s fall play The Little Prince and the competition’s second-place winner, also fondly talks about the competition saying, “I’ve always been involved with theatre, so poetry was a very new kind of performance for me– it, of course, wasn't easy. However, it was one of the best events I’ve been involved in at VHHS. Everyone was so kind and supportive. I really wish I wasn’t a senior so I could do it all again.”
Memorizing every comma, every stanza, and every change in tone, the students dedicated hours to put on the best performance. The competition synthesizes unique aspects of both public speaking and theatre. While the idea of reciting poetry out loud to others may seem intimidating, junior Reva Lingala retells, “Actually practicing and doing it [reciting the poem] with the other people made it easier for the real thing.”
The competition could not have gone so wonderfully without the work of Mrs. Robinson, the twelfth-grade AP Literature teacher, who organized, advertised, and directed the event. She went above and beyond just planning the event by setting up optional coaching slots for the students to practice individually with her. She provided insight to help students not only memorize their poems but also to help analyze the deeper meaning of the piece. Also, to congratulate the hard work of all the students, Mrs. Robinson gave them each a Cookie Fix cookie! The competition would not have been possible without the qualified judges who generously donated their time to the event. Teachers also volunteered, such as Mr. Sinnott, the AP Language, and Composition and Public Speaking teacher, who served as the accuracy judge. The presence of such dedicated teachers, as well as the school’s SGA president, Emma Nunnelley, demonstrates VHHS’s strong commitment to art and literature in education.
Truly, the competition was a success. If you are an underclassman, definitely make plans to compete or attend Poetry Out Loud next year. Who knows, you might just earn a chocolate chip cookie from Mrs. Robinson and a pumpkin from Madame Harlan!
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