Sophomore Chandler Fisher will represent Marshalltown High School at the state Poetry Out Loud contest March 10, 2013, in Des Moines.
Fisher was selected Tuesday, Dec. 18, during a competition amongst fellow MHS students. Also reciting poems were junior Lily Larsen and sophomore Ryley Faircloth. Larson was selected as runner-up and will compete at state should Fisher be unable to attend.
This is the fifth year for Poetry Out Loud at MHS, “a contest that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.” Gwen Morrison represented MHS at the 2012 state contest, winning the state title and competing at the national competition in Washington, D.C.
During the qualifying contest each student recited two poems by memory. According to Poetry Out Loud guidelines, one poem must be 25 lines or fewer and one must be written before the 20th Century. Fisher won with his recitations of “Engliand in 1819” by Percy Bysshe Shelley and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden.
Judging the local contest were Tom LaVille, Karen Roessler and Gary Zmoleck. Students evaluated on multiple criteria, including physical presence, voice and articulation, accuracy and evidence of understanding. Contest emcee was Adam Willman.
Fisher was presented with a poetry anthology, which contains poems eligible for use in the Poetry Out Loud competition.
