Poetry Out Loud is in full swing for the 2015-2016 school year. Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is a fun and creative way in which students can build confidence and improve their public speaking skills. Students are inspired when they study the spoken word of classic and contemporary poets. “They can see that we are not alone and that men and women always have felt as we feel, that the human spirit has been the one constant in the history of our kind” (POL). The Poetry Out Loud contest uses a pyramid structure that begins with a school-wide competition, then to the regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Winners on the state level win a total of $1000 in student awards and school stipends. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion. Last year, senior Shamira Khoshabo advanced as far as the state finals! Meetings for POL take place in Ms. Ryan’s room (327) on Tuesday afternoons. We are looking forward to further involvement in our school and a rewarding successful year.