Marshalltown High School senior Isabella Pedersen won the school’s Poetry Out Loud contest on December 21 and will compete at the state competition on March 5 in Des Moines.
Marshalltown High School senior Isabella Pedersen is heading to the state Poetry Out Loud contest after winning the MHS competition on December 21 in the MHS/Community Auditorium.
Six MHS students competed in the event, which has them recite two poems that test them on memorization and recitation.
Isabella recited “An Apology For Her Poetry” by Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Cavendish and “Through a Glass Eye, Lightly” by Carolyn Kizer.
Students are judged on the following criteria: physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of complexity of the poem they read, evidence of understanding, accuracy and overall performance.
Tying for second place were Michelle Ankrum and Luke Pedersen while Hadley Wagner placed third. The three judges applauded all six competitors for their performance.
“You really entertained us today,” said judge Gary Zmolek.
The state contest will be held on March 5 in Des Moines.
The top finishers in the Marshalltown High School Poetry Out Loud contest on December 21 are pictured, from left, Hadley Wager (third place), Luke Pedersen (tied for second place), Isabella Pedersen (first place) and Michelle Ankrum (tied for second place).
