NORTH BERGEN – High Tech High School student Aaleah Oliver, a resident of Secaucus, won the school-wide competition of the 2015 Poetry Out Loud competition at the North Hudson Center Campus, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, principal of High Tech High School.
Oliver will now advance to the Region 6 Championship, which includes students from the counties of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic. The competition takes place on Monday, Feb. 2 at BergenPAC in Englewood.
This year’s competition marks the 10th anniversary of Poetry Out Loud, a contest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
Oliver recited “Truth” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “Thoughtless Cruelty” by Charles Lamb. Also participating were Kaylynn Montgomery of Jersey City, Union City resident Emily Fung, and Anna Rezk of Bayonne. Montgomery tried her hand at “America” by Claude McKay and “Dirge in Woods” by George Meredith. Fung chose “Zacuanpapalotls” by Brenda Cardenas and “Sonnet 15: When I Consider Everything That Grows” by William Shakespeare. Rezk recited “Beautiful Wreckage” by W.D. Ehrhart and “Love Lives beyond the Tomb” by John Clare.
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