Faculty, administrators and parents gathered in the Three Girls Library on Wednesday, Feb. 2  to watch PA students compete in the schoolwide 16th Poetry Out Loud competition hosted by the PA English department. 

A total of four students competed, and two other students served as  “calibrators”, which essentially meant their job was to recite a poem to “warm up” the judges. The calibrators each recited  a poem, followed by the contestants  reciting two pieces of verses by famous poets.

Poet, judge and Keene State College professor Rodger Martin recited a few original poems as the other judges made their final decisions.

“It was an honor to have Rodger Martin at our school competition, as he played an integral role in bringing Poetry Out Loud to New Hampshire,” said English teacher Ms. Gelinas in an email. “Every year, the students come out and impress. They go out of their comfort zone and eloquently recite their selected poems.”

Junior Emma Hopkins won the competition and will have the opportunity to advance to the regional level. “I was a little nervous,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to go to regionals.” 

The event was coordinated by English teachers Ms. Ficken and Ms. Gelinas, who has run the event for years now.

“I’m excited to get back into the original format competition, and having more people  attend,” said Ms. Ficken, comparing this year’s competition to the last, which was much smaller, due to the pandemic.