Area students take part in OCC Poetry Out Loud

By Bridget Ann Whitfield

The auditorium at the Onondaga Community College lowered the lights and a black mic stood alone on stage underneath the yellow spotlight.

In the front row sat 10 high school students who clamored amongst each other as the first contestant approached the mic, took a deep breath, and recited their first poem.

Susan Tormey, the associate vice president for advancement communications at OCC, organized its forth regional Poetry Out Loud competition. This is a national contest where high school students recite poetry written by some of the greatest poets of our time such as Robert Frost, William Ernest Henley, Emily Dickinson and many more.

Each student that participated was already champion.

Each of the 10 students had already competed in Poetry Out Loud competitions at their own schools where  they were nominated to compete for the regional title.

The students were Joe Benedict and Amelia Huba of Skaneateles High School,  Zacqueline Baldwin and Signe Golash of Corcoran High School, Dillon Berrus and Oliver Gebo of Lowville Academy, Hannah Ebner and Lydia Kelly of  Manlius Pebble Hill and Sofia Liaw and Rebecca Teitelbaum of Jamesville-Dewitt High School.

The contestants had three poems they had to recite in front of four judges; Donna Stuccio, Vivian Rice, Micheal O’Connor and Chloe Hoffman, all coming from different backgrounds in English, literature, and playwriting.

The students were being judged on physical presence, voice, articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy.

The students delivered poems they felt a connection to and felt they could identify with.

Many of them like the junior Rebecca Teitelbaum, who represented Jamesville-DeWitt High School and performed for the first time, took this opportunity in stride.

“It’s really wonderful, I think they do a great job and it’s a lovely opportunity,” Teitelbaum said.  “I kind of relaxed into it by the time I got up there but I was there to put on performance and whatever happened, happened.”

They were able to draw from the character they played, giving the audience a scene they could imagine and place themselves into. The students dove into their roles and took the competition as serious as a professional would.

But in the end, it was sophomore Sofia Law, also from Jamesville-DeWitt High School, as the runner up. She was shocked at the reveal as she explained her nervousness throughout the competition, but felt honored by the recognition.

“It was amazing I had no idea it would happen,” Law said. “I was kind of hoping, but I didn’t know anything.”

The first place winner was Lydia Kelly, a senior from Manlius Pebble Hill who is ready to compete at the state finals for the second time.

She explained the state competition as an experience that allows her to meet many different people and hear a wide range of voices. She’s ready to go back and hopefully win a bigger title.

“It was exciting, I’m excited to get a chance again at states,” Kelly said. “It was just a really great honor.”