Have you heard of Poetry Out Loud? If not, it is a youth competition which attempts to, and, according to “nearly 3.5 million students and 50,000 teachers from 10,000 schools across the country, help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life (www.poetryoutloud.org)”.

Maggie Poronto (‘18), is a participant, and winner, in the Poetry Out Loud school contest. The poem she performed was a poem titled “America”, by Claude McKay. After the school contest, she moves on to the district competition, which will be held Feb. 7, and beyond that, the State Competition. If she pulls off a win at both district, and State, Maggie will receive a all expenses paid trip to Washington D.C, for the National Poetry Out Loud Competition. If she then prevails and wins at the National level, she will receive $20,000, as the National Champion.