MMI Preparatory School junior Jillian McGeehin, the daughter of Larry and Amy McGeehin of Sugarloaf, won the School’s Poetry Out Loud competition and will represent MMI at the regional competition.

Sophomore Diane Arias-Tejeda, the daughter of Angela Tejeda of Hazleton, was the runner-up. MMI English instructor Jennifer Novotney served as the faculty advisor.

During the regional competition, McGeehin will compete with students from throughout Luzerne, Lackawanna, northwestern Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and eastern Wyoming counties. Students will recite two poems each and the top three will recite a third poem during the competition. The regional competition is held under the direction of Arts in Education of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit 19.

Poetry Out Loud encourages the nation’s youth to master public speaking skills, build confidence, and learn about great poetry through the memorization and recitation of classic poems. More than 3.8 million high school students from more than 16,000 high schools compete in the annual event. The program was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the state arts agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Due to continued adherence to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, the 2022 state Poetry Out Loud championship will take place virtually in March of 2022.