Lexington students participate in Poetry Out Loud program

LEXINGTON — Two Lexington High School freshman participated in the community’s first Poetry Out Loud program this year.

Emma Potter and Anna Potter took part in the national poetry recitation contest in which high school students are eligible to compete. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation partner with state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud.

This is the first year that the Nebraska Arts Council opened the program to public libraries. Lexington Public Library Director, Jennifer Norton, was quick to register as a hosting organization.

“I’ve always admired this program and its ability to make poetry accessible to students. Given the opportunity to participate in the program was a dream come true.” Anne Alston, POL statewide program coordinator and Joshua Brown, POL teacher coordinator, both with the Nebraska Arts Council worked with Norton and the Lexington Public Library to make the program a success.

Norton introduced the program at the Teen Book Club she hosts at the Lexington High School in October of 2023 and encouraged those participating in the book club to take on some poetry, as well. She also sent information about the program to high school English, speech, and drama teachers and coaches, and to Mrs. Kelly Buck, the high school media specialist, encouraging them to tell their students about the program.

“Once Anna and Emma both decided they wanted to participate in the program,” Norton said, “we began meeting at the library.” Students are required to choose poems from the Poetry Out Loud website, a collection of over 1,000 poems. “We began by exploring the poems and deciding on one poem for each student to memorize.”, states Norton.

Meeting weekly at the library and with the help of POL teaching artist, Pippa White via ZOOM on several occasions, the girls honed their recitations. The competition requires two poem recitations, one being pre-20th century and one being 25 lines or fewer for the local competition. A third poem is required at the state and national finals.

In early February, each student recited their poems for the local competition. An independent panel of judges chose the local champion, Anna Potter, with her recitations of Fire and Ice by Robert Frost and The Debt by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Video submissions were then sent to the Nebraska Arts Council. The Nebraska State Finals of Poetry Out Loud was held on Saturday, March 9 at the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln Nebraska. Nebraska state poet, Matt Mason, was the event emcee.

Six schools and the Lexington Public Library represented the state. Five state finals judges scored the competitors in two rounds of recitations. The three highest scorers recited their third poem in the final round in which a winner was chosen. This year’s winner of the Nebraska Poetry Out Loud contest was Elizabeth Buescher of Marion Catholic High School in Omaha.

“It was a great learning experience for both girls,” said Norton of the competition. “Competition was tough; most of the students were upperclassmen, Anna and Emma are just freshman. They have plenty of time to improve and to learn. I look forward to coaching next year and hope to have more students participate in the program.”