On Tuesday, Jan. 30, 15 Shaker High School students took part in a school-wide poetry recitation competition called, “Poetry Out Loud.”

This year, approximately 700 Shaker High School students participated in the Poetry Out Loud contest in their classes. The winner of each class went on to the semi-finals, and then 15 students were chosen for the school-wide challenge. High school student, Nick Brennan, was the winner performing such poems as “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Uniform” by Marvin Bell.

The Poetry Out Loud contest was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in 2005. It encourages high school students to memorize and perform poems, ultimately helping them to master their public speaking skills and build self-confidence.

In 2006, Poetry Out Loud awarded over $100,000 in prizes to high school students and schools at the state and national levels. More than 200,000 students across the nation will be participating in Poetry Out Loud this year.

Brennan will go on to the New York State competition on March 8, and will have a chance to move forward to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., on May 1.

Shaker High School senior Danielle Lehman ended up making it to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals last year.

“Poetry Out Loud allowed me to express myself through someone else’s words,” said Lehman. “It gave me appreciation for poets, who speak up for what they believe in.”

Photo caption: Shaker High School student Poetry Out Loud winner Nick Brennan recites "The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes.