Three compete at regional poetry contest
02.23.10
A trio of juniors competed Monday in the regional Poetry Out Loud finals at the New York State Museum.
The students, all juniors, were Rose Biggerstaff, of Bethlehem, Rachel Kerr, of East Greenbush, and Leilani Yasutake, of Germantown.
While they didn't advance to the state competition, VanHoomissen said the students performed professionally and with great skill.
"They did great! Their recitations were excellent and I was extremely proud of them. They were poised and skilled performers," said Teacher Mary VanHoomissen.
The students recited two poems each from memory as part of the competition that drew students from throughout the Capital Region.
Biggerstaff read "Alone", by Edgar Allan Poe and "First Poem For You", by Kim Addonizio, while Kerr read "The Glove and the Lions, by Leigh Hunt", and "The Bloody Sire", by Robinson Jeffers. Yasutake read "Discrimination", by Kenneth Rexroth, and "Introduction to the Songs of Innocence", by William Blake.
Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is a national competition designed to encourage the nation's youth to learn about great poetry.
