Poetry Out Loud: Showcasing Students’ Interpretive Talents

DEBORAH CHEN
Staff Writer

Every year, students at Alhambra High School participate in many different competitions through organizations such as Speech and Debate, Academic Decathlon, Science Olympiad and Poetry Out Loud.
Poetry Out Loud is an annual nationwide contest that showcases high school studentsʼ poetry reading skills. As they advance from one level to another, the students compete in more challenging environments, ranging from classrooms and schools to districts and eventually nationals.
“I have found that students actually like poetry when we are done. Some students even begin writing it on their own,” English teacher Dorothy Burkhart said.
Each high school holds a competition where two students are chosen to compete. Should the first winner be unable to attend, the
runner-up will be sent instead.
“[This experience] made me realize [each] that poem … [has] a message written carefully to convey its meaning and that itʼs up to the reader to do just that,” sophomore Diana Ly said.
During the competition, the teachers determine the champion, and the chosen student advances to the state finals which consists of three rounds. This yearʼs state fi nals for California will be taking place on March 26. The winners from the state finals each receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where they will go on to compete for nationals. The state winnerʼs school is awarded with a $500.
After three rounds, a national winner is determined and is awarded a total of $50,000. The champion also will be given $20,000 to be used at the university of their choosing.
“When a poem works, as it often does, it taps you on the shoulder, gets all inside of you and says, ʻSee me. Hear me. Iʼm here. I will not be ignored.ʼ Thatʼs what a poem does, and if you open up your heart and accept it, it will change you,” Shamsuddin Abdul-Hamid, the Poetry Out Loud 2010 champion, said on the Poetry Out Loud website.