~Charlotte Cleaver
Twenty Coe-Brown students took the mic on February seventh for the school wide Poetry Out Loud competition. Each student recited two poems from a large selection on the Poetry Out Loud website. Students were judged on appearance, articulation, accuracy, and understanding of the poem. Last year's winner, Shayla Ashley, was the first competitor to stand in the spotlight. Ashley’s recitation of To Solitude by Alice Cary was deeply passionate. There were a many outstanding recitations from students of all grade levels. Inle Bush captivated the audience with his performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Conqueror Worm. Max Lupinacci’s voice rose and fell with the tides of The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls by Henry Longfellow. A stunning performance of After the Winter by Claude Mckay earned Olivia Kreps second place in the 2019 school wide competition. One of the final presentations of the night stood out from the rest, Refusing Silence by Tess Gallagher performed by Shayla Ashley. Not only did Shayla prove her deep understanding of the poem by reciting it flawlessly, she added an astonishing layer of depth to the poem through sign language. Though not many of the audience members can claim understanding of sign language alone, when added to the poem it was utterly mesmerizing. Shayla Ashley claimed another Poetry Out loud win!
