Despite New York State’s decision to end its participation in the Poetry Out Loud program this year, the Valley Stream Central High School District chose to continue the competition, maintaining a long-standing academic tradition.
Valley Stream South High School recently hosted its annual Poetry Out Loud event, despite the absence of statewide involvement.
At the beginning of the school year, English department chairs were notified that the state would no longer participate in the program and that it would be restructured under a different name with revised rules, according to Vanessa Barbone, the English department chair who organizes the competition at South High School.
“They changed all the rules,” Barbone said. “There was not going to be anymore semifinal competition. Normally, when we submit the names, what happens next is that all our kids go to the Walt Whitman museum to perform in front of all the other kids that won, and it’s a beautiful night, and they dismantled that this year. So, we here in Valley Stream, we kind of went rogue and decided, you know what, we still want to do it.”
The district followed the original Poetry Out Loud guidelines with plans to bring together winners from across Valley Stream schools for a district-wide performance later this year. However, details have not yet been finalized.
Poetry Out Loud is a performance-based competition in which students memorize and recite poems selected from an approved anthology. Performances are evaluated on physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy. At South High School, students performed for the school’s English department, which served as the judging panel.
This year’s competition saw younger students earn the top honors. Eighth grader Erika Mendoza Rosa, 13, placed first, and ninth grader Alisha Akim, 14, earned second place. According to Barbone, the competition saw less participation than in past years due to widespread illness among students, and the competition was opened to eighth and ninth graders, allowing them to compete alongside older students.
Erika, who’s a track athlete, won first place with her recitations of “Little Tree” by E.E. Cummings and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost. She chose to participate after memorizing two poems in her English lab class and decided to enter the competition once she had learned them.
Her preparation relied primarily on repetition, practicing on her own and occasionally with her father. She also watched videos of other performances to better understand pacing and delivery. Erika selected “Little Tree” because the competition took place during the winter season and chose “Fire and Ice” because she was drawn to its rhythm and shift in tone.
She found “Little Tree” more challenging due to its length, taking about a week to memorize the poem, while “Fire and Ice” required significantly less time. During her performance, she focused on maintaining eye contact and presenting herself with confidence. She credited her controlled pacing and emotional expression as factors in her first-place finish. The experience increased her appreciation for poetry and public speaking, and she said she would consider participating in future competitions.
“I was happy that I accomplished this,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to win at first, but once I won, I was proud of myself for being able to do it, since I didn’t originally want to participate.”
Alisha, who’s involved in cultural activities and theater, recited “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways” by William Wordsworth and “From Brooklyn” by Evelyn Scott. She had previously performed poetry in elementary school and saw this year’s competition as an opportunity to overcome her stage fright and strengthen her public speaking skills.
Because of her busy theater schedule, Alisha selected shorter poems and completed most of her memorization shortly before the competition. She chose “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways” with her teacher’s guidance and selected “From Brooklyn” for its contrast in imagery, beginning with calm descriptions before shifting to a more intense depiction of New York.
Alisha found performing in front of a group of English teachers particularly challenging, as the setting made her acutely aware of the audience. Completing the performance, however, was a personal achievement that helped build her confidence.
“I’ll definitely do this in the future,” she said. “It helps a lot because I just don’t know when to speak. I’m always like, should I share my opinion or not, and this kind of thing helps with that.”
Barbone said Erika stood out for her calm presence and deliberate pacing, while Alisha distinguished herself through persistence and personality as she worked through visible nerves. She emphasized that the competition aligns closely with the English department’s goals of building confidence, encouraging risk-taking and helping students connect more deeply with poetry.
