McFeely makes state finals of poetry reading contest

Eighteen Whitefish High School students recently competed in the national Poetry Out Loud recitation contest.

The students had previously given the top performances among their classmates and qualified to recite one poem in front of three judges in the school library. Two of the judges, Nikki Reed and Chris Schwaderer, are English teachers at Whitefish, and the third, Sarah Scott, is a special education teacher.

The top five finishers were Cassidy Grady, Kelsey McFeely, Micah McFeely, Chehala Hemmingson and Kate Ehrenberg.

Of the top five, junior Chehala Hemmingson and senior Kelsey McFeely travelled to Missoula for the Regional competition on Feb. 7. Regional competitors were required to recite two poems in front of a judging panel. McFeely walked away with third place and a spot at the state competition in Helena, set for March 9.

Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that strives to keep classical poetry thriving in schools. The judges base the contest on effective physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of poem difficulty, evidence of understanding of the poem, overall performance, and accuracy.

“A student scores well when he or she is able to go beyond the mere recitation of words to actually communicate meaning in a poem,” Schwaderer said. “The audience wants to feel the poem rather than just hear the words. A good recitation will be very nuanced and successfully communicate tone.”

Whitefish High School is the only school that participates in Poetry Out Loud in the Flathead Valley.

“It offers students a unique opportunity that differs from other competitive opportunities,” Schwaderer added. “It’s pretty rare to be involved in competitive poetry recitation — it’s definitely a niche activity.”

“Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. The recitation of poetry feels like a dying practice. I like to tell students I’m giving them a gift by having them recite a poem that they will be able to recall in the future.”