With World Poetry Day taking place on the 21st March, we are celebrating two CATS Academy Boston students who have been selected to perform at the Poetry Out Loud state finals, the winner of which will represent Massachusetts in the National Finals held in Washington, DC.
19 CATS Boston students took part in the school finals in order to qualify for the state finals being held at Old State House in Boston. Of the 19, two students, Leonardo and Julia, were selected to progress on to the next stage of the competition and to perform in front of established poets and educators from around the state.
During the in-school finals, students recited pieces from a collection curated by Poetry Out Loud. Leonardo chose “Art vs. Trade” by James Weldon Johnson and “Invisible Children” by Mariana Llanos, while Julia performed “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Albert Guest and “Truth is I would like to escape myself” by Nour Al-Ghraowi.
A staple in the CATS Boston events calendar for the last eight years, Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry competition that celebrates the power of the spoken word, encourages confidence in public speaking and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage. Each year, the contest inspires thousands of high school students to discover and embrace a love of classic and contemporary poetry.
Peter Bard, Chair of the English Literature Department at CATS Boston said “The recitations should show that students know what the poems mean, and the students should perform it in a way that supports that intent. These students excelled at demonstrating an understanding of authorial intent, as well as an artistic performance.”
The involvement of CATS Boston students in the Poetry Out Loud competition showcases their passions and talents outside of the classroom when they come to their college and university applications. The skills it teaches them, such as public speaking, performance and self-confidence, are abilities that they can be proud to take with them into the world after graduating from CATS Boston.
Congratulations to all those who took part, and especially to Leonardo and Julia.
