SPANISH FORT, Ala.— Students participated in the regional competition of Poetry Out Loud Saturday at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center where eight students from Spanish Fort High School, Daphne High School and Theodore High School in Mobile competed.

Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages high school students to memorize and perform poetry in competition.

Cadie Simmons, a junior from Theodore High School, came out on top in the recitation competition.

“I was just so happy,” Simmons said of her win. “I wasn’t expecting it.

“It was a lot of hard work.”

Simmons said she has always been interested in writing, however poetry is a new hobby.

“I keep my notebook with me all the time now,” Simmons said.

Until the state competition, scheduled for February, Simmons said she will “rehearse a lot” and attend poetry  readings at local coffee shops.

“Just practice, practice, practice,” she said.

Not only did Simmons receive first place for the recitation portion of the competition, she also received first place for her original poem, “When I was Sixteen,” which she wrote about her 6-month-old daughter, Mya.

Spanish Fort High School sophomore Natalie Carlisle received honorable mention for recitation out of eight students from Mobile and Baldwin County schools. 

Spanish Fort High School sophomore Mackenzie Davidson received honorable mention for her original poem, “Right Choice,” out of eight other contestants.

Carlisle will compete in the state competition for recitation and Davidson will compete in the state competition for her original poem in Montgomery.

Amanda Hein and Paige Lathem recited poetry from Daphne High School; Mackenzie Davidson, Natalie Carlisle and Rachael Whatley recited for Spanish Fort High School; and Beylonka Gipson, Jamie Monego and Cadie Simmons, did so for Theodore High School.

Contestants were judged on physical presence, voice and articulation; appropriateness of dramatization; level of difficulty; evidence of understanding; and overall performance, according to www.poetryoutloud.org, the official Web site.

For the recitation portion, Simmons received first place; Monego got second; Gipson received third place; and Carlisle got honorable mention.

“All four finalists in both categories are eligible to compete on the state level, but only the winners of the recitation competition will advance to the nationals,” according to P.T. Paul, a Poetry Out Loud team member.

“I was impressed with some of the poems selected by the students, not just because of their length, but also because of their complexity,” Paul said. “It was a joy to watch their performances, knowing that they had chosen poems that spoke to them and then recited them with such emotion.”

About 25 friends  and relatives of the participants were present Saturday.

“Considering the time of year and conflicting holiday schedules, we were pleased with the turnout on Saturday,” Paul said. “We hope that the audience will grow as more schools are able to participate in the competitions.”

The judges for the regional competition included Nathan Blaesing, co-owner of Dr. Java on Old Shell Road; Bruce Alford, assistant professor at the University of South Alabama who specializes in poetry and writing; and Larry Sampson, a physical therapist and poet.

The accuracy judge was Meagan McDaniel; Charlie Smoke was the prompter; and state poet laureate Susan Brannan Walker served at the regional coordinator for Saturday’s competition.

“One of the reasons I have enjoyed working with this program is because it gives students who love poetry a chance to showcase their talents,” Paul said. “Poetry Out Loud offers students an outlet for their love of poetry and rewards them for bringing to life the poems they love.”

Students are ranked on their points and scoring can range on how simple, or challenging, the poem is; more or less gestures that relay the poem’s meaning; any mispronunciations; pace and appropriate volume; poor or good eye contact with a compelling stage presence; how weak or captivating the performance was; and interpreting the meaning of the poem.

The physical presence can only be judged by seeing the reciter on stage. Judges will look at the student’s confidence, poise and projected ease, not artificially. If the student appears nervous, loses eye contact with the audience or appears stiff, they may lose points, the oganization’s site said.

Voice and articulation are important to the competition; judges look at the students’ speed, pace, volume, proper pronunciation and inflection. Poems that are mumbled, monotone,  inaudible or too quiet may cause the reciter to lose points. 

Judges also look at the appropriateness of dramatization where it is important for students to remember that this is an oral competition, not a theatrical performance. Reciters shouldn’t have excessive gestures or unnecessary emoting. Gestures should be appropriate to fit the poem, the site said.

The overall performance is the heaviest weighted category and has double the points as the other categories. The judges looked at the performance as a whole with this category.

The competition is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts—a public agency who supports the arts—and the Poetry Foundation, whose goal is to bring poetry before the largest possible audiences, the site said.

Despite the efforts of Poetry Out Loud team members to reach out to Mobile and Baldwin County schools, only four schools responded to the invites to participate in Poetry Out Loud. Along with Spanish Fort High School, Daphne High School and Theodore High School, Southern Choctaw High School was originally signed on to participate, but dropped out of the regional competition  due to scheduling, Paul said.