“Say! I like green eggs and ham! /I Do! I like them, Sam-I-am!” are the widely well-known words of the beloved poet Dr. Seuss. Poetry is something that captures the soul and enlightens the spirit. It has been present throughout the centuries to express the human psyche. Tales of love, adventure, nature, tragedy, and social injustice are often the focus of a plethora of poems. Poetry plays a major role in the lives of many individuals and is an opportunity for people to express how they feel in a few words. Since it is so vast, individuals will likely find poetry that speaks to them because of the manner in which they are able to relate to it. It is highly important that young adults explore what poetry has to offer because there is much more to it than people believe there to be and students from Pitman high have discovered just that by being a part of Poetry Out Loud.
Poetry Out Loud is an organization that encourages students to learn about poetry in its entirety by memorizing and reciting poems. It helps individuals with their speaking skills and encourages them to see the importance of poetry in all of its forms. Poetry Out Loud has something for everyone who participates in it as well as the individuals who are the advisors to these students since they get to see firsthand how much these individuals grow in confidence and also in character. Poetry Out Loud was first introduced in large cities such as Washington D.C, and Chicago and became highly successful. This success led to an outburst of schools across the U.S. joining in and creating a Poetry Out Loud club on their campus.
Ashley Sommers insists that she gained “an appreciation for poetry that I didn’t have before” and that “poetry is so much more than it appears to be on the outside.” In addition Hasna El-Nounou stated that poetry is something that “you can interpret in any way that you would like to” which shows the freedom that reciting poetry has. Mrs. Humphres the advisor stated that her favorite part of advising Poetry Out Loud would be “watching the growth of the students” who then “become some of the strongest public speakers” that she has seen.
Recently, Pitman high school’s Poetry Out Loud club competed against other schools at section competitions. The members from Pitman High did not fail to impress with Hasna El-Nounou, a junior, placing first at section competitions while Tarae Mc Queen, a senior, placing second and Ashley Sommers, a junior, placing third.
Ashley Sommers recited “The Conqueror Worm” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Way it Sometimes is” by Henry Taylor both of which are poems that stood out to her for different reasons. “The Conqueror Worm” is a poem that speaks of human morals and the fact that death is inevitable while “The Way it Sometimes is” is a poem about the things that often cloud the minds of many individuals and how at times, we are unable to fully explain everything that occurs inside of our minds. Hasna El-Nounou recited a poem titled “Happiness” by Jane Kenyon and “A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest and Road Unknown” by Walt Whitman. Nounou chose to recite “Happiness” because it is in a way “a definition of my personality” and she chose Walt Whitman’s war-time poem because of her interest in politics. Mc Queen recited “Go and Catch a Falling Star” by John Donne which encourages the reader to do the impossible and find a woman who is true and beautiful while “Carnival” by Rebecca Lindenburg is about life and love in its many forms.
They all performed quite well and according to Mrs. Humphres she “couldn’t be more proud” of her students for doing so well and being a part of this spectacular club. Those who placed will now move on to the next phase which will be the upcoming state competition to be held at the state capitol in Sacramento, CA between March 15th and March 16th. Compared to section competitions, state competitions are more challenging since a variety of students from all around California who also placed will be competing there as well which raises the stakes for everyone who will be participating. Mrs. Humphres stated that “Being in that same competition is huge for us” as she was describing the exciting upcoming event in March. Pitman High School’s Poetry Out Loud will get the opportunity to show how talented and versatile they are when they go and compete in Sacramento in mid-March.