CHS’s 9^th Annual Poetry Out Loud Competition went off without a missed beat.

Poetry Out Loud is a National Recitation Contest that was started in the spring of 2006 and according to Poetry Out Loud’s webpage, “[Poetry Out Loud] has grown to involve millions of students across the country.”

First, students who are interested compete in a school-wide competition and then the winners advance to regional competitions, then a state competition and then finally national competitions.

CHS has been hosting school-wide Poetry Out Loud competitions for the past nine years. This year’s school-wide competition took place on January 15. The winners include Neha Cariappa, (who placed third), Jess Smith, (who placed second), and Catherine Bloom as the first place winner.

Third place finisher Cariappa recited the poem “Ways of Talking” by Ha Jin. Cariappa said she entered into the competition due to her English teacher’s urgings.

Second place finisher Smith is a senior and has competed in the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition four times. The poem Smith recited was “They are hostile nations” by Margaret Atwood.

Smith said she competed in the POL competition because “It combines two of my favorite things: poetry and performance.”

First place winner Bloom is a senior at CHS and has competed in the school-wide POL competitions since her sophomore year. The poem Bloom  recited the poem “The River Merchant’s Wife: a Letter” by Ezra Pound.

When Bloom was asked why she competed in the Poetry Out Loud competition, she said, “I really enjoy slam poetry.”

Bloom will advance to regional level competition on February 16, 2014 at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore , hoping to continue to state level competitions and get a chance to compete in the nationwide competition on April 30, 2014.