Poetry Out Loud is a competition that encourages students all over the nation to become more involved in poetry through memorization and recitation. The contest builds students’ public speaking skills, self-confidence, and their love for poetry. Poetry Out Loud is also a performance competition designed to increase students’ interaction and appreciation of poetry. It starts at the classroom level, and winners advance to a school-wide completion, then to regional and/or state competition, and finally to the National Finals. Last year, Bob Jones sent Khadijah Thompson to Nationals.

Bob Jones held its own Poetry Out Loud on October 22, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the media center. Mrs. Hadden is the coordinator for Poetry Out Loud and has much to say about the program. “Bob Jones shows an interest in Poetry Out Loud because we have an enormous number of highly talented individuals (and there’s money involved!). Poetry Out Loud has been beneficial for schools across the nation because it promotes public speaking skills and an appreciation of the arts, in particular the spoken word. It also creates a bridge between artistic students by creating an understanding that others share the same emotions and ideas. Poetry Out Loud allows students to see how ideas and emotions can be expressed by careful writing and presentation.”

The winners of the fall 2015 Poetry Out Loud were Aaron DeCoux and Samuel Jackson, with Jazi Atassi as runner-up.

They will represent Bob Jones at UAH in November for the Regional Competition.  They can earn cash and UAH scholarship money, and they have a chance to move on to state.