January 13, 2025 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
This past Thursday, Saratoga City Hall was filled with poetry performances from our very own Saratoga Springs High School (SSHS) students at the schoolwide Poetry Out Loud competition. With 23 students chosen and approved by SSHS English teachers, the audience was filled with enthusiastic support from parents, teachers, and fellow Saratoga students. The third floor of the City Hall was abuzz with excitement before the event even started, but as soon as the first student walked up to recite their poem, the room fell quiet with anticipation. All 23 students performed and recited their poems beautifully, with 23 different ways of embodying emotion and poetry alike. The brief intermission was even a display of SSHS’s students and their talent in the performing arts, as a few members of the fiddle club played music during the break.
At the end of each poem, 4 Saratoga teachers (Jennifer Armstrong, Jen Duchaussee, Amy Totino, and Hannah Weeden) assessed the students on accuracy, connection, and delivery among other criteria. The judges were looking for two students who would soon become SSHS winners. Multiple poems were met with standing ovations from an avid student section, and congratulations in the back of the room were passed between performing students.
On Friday morning, two winners and a runner-up were announced on the SSHS announcements. Congratulations to Ana Sandu and Amaife Uzo-Menkiti as SSHS’s winners and Arissa Gillani as our runner-up! They will move on to regionals where they will perform their poems again along with two other poems on January 31st at Hudson Valley Community College.
Many nerves are involved in standing on a stage in front of peers and people in general, and among the many student participants, Gillani, who recited “What Women Are Made Of” by Bianca Lynne Spriggs felt the nervousness of performing on Thursday. “I was a bit nervous at first, but once I hit the stage, everything just flowed. When you’re doing something you love, it’s like nothing else matters, and you just get lost in the moment!” she commented. However, according to the SSHS students who performed, one of the best ways to try and feel prepared was to practice repeatedly. “I read my poem a TON and just tried to really feel it so when I was nervous on stage, I didn’t have to worry about forgetting it” commented Kari Reilly, who recited “I Once Was a Child” by Victoria Chang. “A lot of the preparation process consisted of repeating my poem over and over again. I also made sure to practice in front of all different types of audiences so that I would be ready” co-winner Ana Sandu added.
One of the most important aspects of performing a poem is to add emotion and a personal spin to the lines. Not only just using voice inflections, but also hand gestures, meaningful facial expressions, and body language are all key parts of an emotional recitation of any poem. “I really focused on enunciating certain words […] I feel that my hand gestures really brought the poem to life too” added Gillani. Many of the students said that the best way to embody the poem was to try and understand the purpose and tone the poet intended. Sandu added “really knowing my poem [“Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood] and understanding the implications of the words I think set me apart [from the other students]. I really loved and was passionate about my poem”. Knowing the meaning of the poem and being passionate about it is something the judges look for in a candidate and a vital part of poetry. On Thursday, the majority of the performances felt like there was raw emotion pouring out of the speakers as they told the story of their poems.
The Poetry Out Loud event was such a great experience, a fun way to support your peers, and a wonderful way to experience performing poetry as a participant. “The competition was fierce this year, and it was amazing to see everyone shine,” Gillani said as she reflected on the night. All of the SSHS students who participated and recited poems did so incredibly well and there was not a student who didn’t get a large round of applause from the audience at City Hall. Visit https://www.poetryoutloud.org/ for more information on the Poetry Out Loud organization!
