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West Orange High School Freshman to Represent at Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition

WEST ORANGE, NJ - Freshman Priscilla Lilliah took first place at the Poetry Out Loud Competition held at West Orange High School in early January, and she is heading to the Regional Competition at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on Feb. 4. (Snow date is Feb. 11)"

"Poetry Out Loud® lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. Through this program, high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence, and teach them about literary history and contemporary life. A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud® provides free lesson plans and other educational materials to teachers and organizers, including an online anthology of 1,200 classic and contemporary poems. 

The program starts at the local level with a school or participating organization. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the national finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria. Poetry Out Loud takes place in all 50 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the U.S. have participated in Poetry Out Loud."

Students are tasked with memorizing and performing two spoken word poems from a Poetry Out Loud approved list, and Priscilla beat out students at all grade levels.

Dr. Victor Alcindor, currently serving as the grades 6-12 English Language Supervisor for the West Orange School District, was selected as a judge for the Morris County Poetry Out Loud Competition, to be held at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

Priscillia Lilliah

Priscilla Lilliah

Victor Alcindor

Dr. Victor Alcindor

 

 

 

Cynthia Cumming
Jan. 23, 2025