Many of the talented writers, artists, and other Pine Crest students came together on Tuesday, January 30th, 2018 for Poetry Out Loud, which was brought together by the English teachers Ms. Worrall and Mr. Gillego, was held in the ICI Auditorium. Aspiring speakers went up to the microphone to give recitations of their favorite poems.

To start the competition off, senior Dani Gomez played the piano as audience members and contestants began to filter in. The night then began with each audience member being given a strip of paper with a line from W.H. Auden’s famous poem, “As I Walked Out One Evening.” Each student went up to read a line from the poem; although the poem, at first, sounded out of order, English teacher Dr. Stewart went on to organize the scrambled lines to read the completed poem.

The first competitor, sophomore Olivia Pettee, took the stage and delivered an intricate reading of her poem. The night went on with several poems and stories from different eras, each read with an interpretation special to the reader. Students from all grades participated: sophomore Olivia Pettee, freshman Kiara Garcia, sophomore Rayna Gordon, junior Bryce Emmanuel, senior Daniela Gomez, senior Genue Wilkins, senior Rachel Bell, freshman Daria Peppler, junior Nina Couture, freshman Ariella Bernick, and junior Athena Myers were all part of the show.

Sophomore Jess Nedry, shared her thoughts on this, saying, “It must be incredibly difficult to be judging because every performance has been so good so far.”

English teacher Ms. Worrall, the event’s organizer, commented on the competition and the student performances: “Poetry Out Loud is a competition that is not just about memory but also about understanding and empathy, showing that you can walk a while in the poet’s shoes.  I am constantly surprised and moved by our students’ depth and talent to create art in performance and on paper.”

By the end of the night, a consensus was reached: the three runner-ups were senior Dani Gomez, freshman Daria Peppler, and senior Rachel Bell, and the winner was sophomore Rayna Gordon. Rayna Gordon will be heading straight to States and her peers and teachers wish her the best of luck.

All the performances reflected the true talents that so many Pine Crest students have and the audience showed how supportive they are of their peers. The faculty, students, and administration put together a great event, inspiring students to show their artistic sides.