Academy girls are preparing to channel their inner poets and prepare themselves once again for the annual Poetry Out Loud school-wide competition. Before they can even worry about reciting their poems to the entire school, the girls must first blow their English classes away with a phenomenal recitation of their choice of poem.

Each English class will nominate one student with the highest score. Class competitions will begin the second week in January, with lunch run-offs following that week to determine the best poetry recitation for each grade. The winner from each class will compete with the other winners in their grade for the opportunity to represent their grade in the school-wide competition on Wednesday, January 30, during Catholic Schools Week.

As the POL contests approach rapidly, AHN students are scrambling to find a poem that they enjoy and will allow them to preform an outstanding recitation. Every student will participate, but only four students, one from each grade, will compete in the final competition. The winner of the school-wide competition will then compete in the state contest.

Junior Sarah Elliot explains her tactic for choosing the best poem for her. “I always pick a poem that I can really relate to. That way, it is easier for me to memorize and perform in front of my entire class.”