News 

Three students participate at regional Poetry Out Loud Competition

March 15, 2010—Three Duanesburg High School School students brought their love of poetry and performance to life during the Capital District Regional Poetry Out Loud competition in late February at the New York State Museum.

Mary Rachel Keville recited "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns and "America" by Claude McKay. Mitchell Martin recited "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Dona Josefina Counsels Dona Concepcion Before Entering Sears" by Maurice Kilwein Guevara. Zach McKeeby recited "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and "Harlem" by Lanston Huges.

Although the students did not advance to the state competition, they did a great job representing the school district.

The students won the right to compete after winning a schoolwide contest in February in which 17 students selected three poems to memorize and perform in front of an audience made up of their peers, school staff and three judges—music teacher Mira Ordon, Liberty Partnership tutor Tom Elliot and former peer leader Judy Prest.

The contestant's recitation of the poem is evaluated on physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding and overall performance.

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 through memorization and performance.