The winners of the Poetry Out Loud Competition from this past week are our very own Tigers, Angela Bediako and Dulce Argudo!
The Poetry Out Loud Competition is a national poetry competition in which high school students select poetry to memorize and read aloud, building confidence and public speaking skills. First, one must choose three poems they relate to or feel they connect with. Then, they recite what they memorized in front of judges, who score based on “accuracy, understanding, and portrayal of the poem.” Being a winner takes stage presence, preparation, courage and the skill of memorization. One must have what it takes to bring the words on the page alive and connect with the audience.
Bediako said she’s never really had stage fright. “I always love performing on stage… something that helps me get rid of the nerves…is focusing on the fact that I know what I’m doing.”
Argudo’s method of coping with stage fright is “constantly telling myself that I’ll probably never see these people after this. She added that “everyone was nervous so that kind of brought me comfort.”
Argudo was pleasantly surprised to hear the good news. “I was baffled when I won … I felt accomplished like I tried something new and had a great outcome,” she said. She hasn’t had any prior experience with reciting poetry, so this win is a first for her! She described poetry as something that gives her a new perspective of the world.
In addition to being a winner of the Poetry Out Loud Competition, Bediako is a singer, dancer and actress. She recently devoted her talents to the WPHS musical, Pippin, where she was one of the dance captains. “Managing time between Pippin and Poetry Out Loud was difficult,” she said. She received feedback on her poems during her free periods to save after-school time.
The people who keep Bediako motivated are her family, friends, Broadway inspiration and Mr Polanco. She says Mr Polanco has been a great guide through her poetry journey and has “helped a lot with this whole process.” Argudo was also inspired by Mr Polanco. “I wasn’t planning to do it, but he kept encouraging everyone in my class to participate and I thought why not,” she said.
Bediako’s three chosen poems were “Echo” by Daryl Hine, “The World is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth, and “What the Oracle Said” by Shara McCallum. She picked these “because I felt like they had an important message that needed to be shared with the world.” Argudo went with “Recess” by Maria Hummel, “From the Sky” by Sara Abou Rashed, and “The Two Boys” by Mary Lamb. She connected to these poems because she appreciates the sympathy and powerful shifts found in them.
Poetry is a meaningful way to spread the joys of lyrical art. It is a source of positivity and self-discovery and a way to express oneself. Both Bediako and Argudo have noted that participating in Poetry Out Loud has positively impacted their lives and given them a new way for their voice to be heard.
Congratulations to our Tigers for winning the Poetry Out Loud competition! Angela Bediako will be advancing to the NY State finals in NYC on March 15th—best of luck to her.