Poetry Out Loud is a diverse competition consisting of people from all over the country. Judges look at performance, personal appearance, and most importantly memorization. There are usually four to five judges, including one who is solely focused on making sure the reciters are correctly repeating the poems. After all the competitors are done the judges add up all their points and the top two competitors move on to the next round. There are four rounds: local (Chester), regionals (Carbondale), state (Springfield), and nationals (Washington DC).
The competition that was held at CHS on January 21st, presented competitors who put their best into it. Revolution Chaput was the first place winner of the local competition of Poetry Out Loud. She recited two poems, each memorized perfectly. The first performance was “The Paper Nautilist” by Marianne Moore, and secondly she recited, “In The Yellowstone” by Harriet Monroe.
Second Place went to Brodie Mattingly reciting, “The Conqueror Worm” by Edgar Allan Poe and, “Introduction” by Alice Duer Miller. Third place went to Raven Rinderer with “Query” by Nellie Rathbone Bright and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost. Writers’ Circle sponsor, Miss Rana Hodge, said, “All three of these competitors tried their hardest and deserved their rewards fully.”
Around a month later on, February 14th, Chaput and Mattingly both competed at regionals in Carbondale, IL. These two students gave their all and competed against each other and competitors from other regional schools. Chaput earned second place and advanced to the state competition in Springfield
A personal quote from Chaput, “This is the second year I have participated in Poetry Out Loud. Each time, my goal has been to challenge my fear of public speaking, and I have improved vastly over the course of only a year. The fact that I have advanced as far as I have this year is an opportunity that I am incredibly grateful for, though it has also made me indescribably anxious. The ability to step outside of your comfort zone is a vital skill to learn, especially when you don’t believe in yourself. Fear inhibits so many wonderful goals and talents that are otherwise perfectly within your grasp.”
Although Chaput did not advance to the national level, CHS is proud of her accomplishments. She has been able to go far beyond her own expectations, and many could learn from her bravery. It is too often when students let fear stop them from doing something they love and it is so refreshing to see a student going all out and not letting trepidation stop them.
