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Arts & Entertainment

Montville and Madison Among Those Competing for State Title

Laurenzi and Alvey vie for chance to attend D.C. contest.

Sophia Laurenzi, a sophomore, from Montville Township High School, and Rachel Alvey, a junior, from Madison High School, in Madison, NJ, won the chance to compete at the March 17, 2011 New Jersey Finals for the national recitation contest, Poetry Out Loud.

The two Morris county residents competed against junior, Daniela Mallack from Trinity Christian School in Montville, and five other students, from Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, Union and Warren Counties, at the Region 4 Finals. For the first time since the national recitation contest was launched in 2006, the event was held at the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown.

“It’s the first time here,” said Mayo Performing Arts Center’s general manager, Ed Kirchdoerffer. “Because so many students are participating, the contest has had to be expanded from three to four regional finals.”

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Poetry Out Loud is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation.

According to the Poetry Out Loud website, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation work together with state arts commissions, like the New Jersey Council for the Arts, to encourage “the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.”

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“It definitely helps with public speaking,” said Alvey following the event. “I know how to prepare to speak in front of a crowd.”

The website also notes that “There has been a resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class.”

“Anything that is encouraging students to be exposed to literature is a good thing,” said Cathy Roy, education director of the Mayo Performing Arts Center. “When you look at their performances, you can see the connections they have with the poems. They are really affected by them.”

"I feel really happy when I do this," said Mallack, who plans to become a doctor.

Students were chosen to attend the Region 4 Finals after winning competitions within their own high schools. At some schools, like Madison High School, and Trinity Christian School, in Montville, competition began as part of the class room curriculum. Once a student won the top spot in the classroom, the student then had to win the top spot among all the classrooms. At Montville High School, forensics coach, Mary Gormley, held a full day competition for the forensics team on Martin Luther King Day.

Each of the Region 4 competitors recited three poems. The competition lasted almost two hours, with two intermissions and a Student Talk Back session. 

Most of the schools attending the event brought a bus load of spectators to cheer on their champion, and to serve as an audience. The young spectators asked questions of the poetry competitors, including “How do you memorize the poems?”, “Did anyone help you select the poems?”, “What are you thinking right before you walk out on stage?”, and “What was your favorite poem?”

Rachel Alvey performed "Israfel," by Edgar Allan Poe, "Abandoned Farmhouse," by Ted Kooser, and "Hysteria," by Dionisio D. Martinez.

Sophia Laurenzi performed "In," by Andrew Hudgins, "Alone," by Edgar Allan Poe, and "Constantly Risking Absurdity (#15)," by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Alvey stated that her favorite was "Abandoned Farmhouse," while Laurenzi said she felt a strong connection to "Constantly Risking Absurdity (#15)."

The other competitors included Romana Steindler of Hunterdon Learning Center in Califon, Lauren Dwane of Kinnelon High, Seamus Cogdon of Morris County School of Technology in Denville, Jasmine Noel of St Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth, Daniela Mallack of Trinity Christian School in Montville, and Jodi Bischoff from Vernon Township High.

Since the first of the year, more than 17,000 New Jersey students have participated in elimination contests. Winners of each regional contest move on, for a chance to win the New Jersey State Championship. The winner of the state competition will win $200 and an all expenses paid trip for two to Washington D.C. The state champion will also compete for the national Poetry Out Loud title. The state champion’s school will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

“I wasn’t expecting to qualify today,” said Laurenzi. “Now I feel confident. I would like to be the champion. I have time to prepare, and I will practice and talk with people who are experts in poetry.”

Nationally, more than 325,000 students compete for the title.

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