Junior Andrew Decker captured MMI Preparatory School’s Poetry Out Loud competition for the third consecutive year and will once again represent MMI in the televised regional Poetry Out Loud competition on December 13 at the WVIA-TV studios in Pittston.
Decker won the regional competition last December and placed among the top five in Pennsylvania during the state competition this past March. He was one of only 15 students who advanced to the state finals out of a total of 7,000 students from across the state who entered the competition starting at the school level.
Kelisa Hysenbegasi finished second in MMI’s school competition and Frederick Mejia placed third. Jennifer Novotney is the MMI Poetry Out Loud faculty adviser.
During the regional competition, Decker 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, which is held under the direction of Arts in Education of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit 19, will be televised in April on WVIA-TV as part of the station’s National Poetry Month celebration. The winner of the regional competition will advance to the state finals, which are set for March of 2018 in Harrisburg.
Poetry Out Loud is designed to help students master public speaking skills, build confidence and learn about literary history and contemporary life by memorizing and reciting classic poems. The national competition is part of the coupling of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation with U.S. state arts agencies.
More information can be found at www.poetryoutloud.org.
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