Five students from Righetti High School competed at this year’s Santa Barbara County Poetry Out Loud, which was held in mid-November at Allan Hancock College’s Boyd Concert Hall in Santa Maria.
Featured poems in the competition included “To Have Without Holding” by Marge Piercy, recited by Righetti senior Natalie Lancor; “Stomp” by Nikki Grimes, recited by sophomore N.J. Correia; “The Conqueror Worm” by Edgar Allan Poe, recited by sophomore Erick Youngern; “April Love” by Ernest Dowson, recited by sophomore Bella Gonzalez; and “April Midnight” by Arthur Symons, recited by sophomore Breana Camarena (all five students pictured left to right).
“Even though Righetti did not win this year, the Poetry Out Loud contest was the best experience that I have had in my academic life,” Camarena said in a release from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
Both Gonzalez and Youngern described their time at Poetry Out Loud as “an amazing experience,” while Correia referred to the countrywide competition as “an experience that I will not forget.”
“It really helped with my confidence in public speaking,” Gonzales added. “I hope to do this again and to encourage others to participate in the future.”
For more info on Poetry Out Loud, visit sbac.ca.gov/poetry-out-loud.
This article appears in Dec 7-17, 2023.