Senior Jordan Knouse, Newport’s representative for the Poetry Out Loud competition, won first place at the regional competition held on Jan. 31 at the Landis House in Newport, sending her to the state competition in March. At regionals, Knouse competed against two other participants from other Region 10 high schools. Knouse’s three poems were “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser, “Suppose” by Phoebe Cary, and “Tear” by Linda Hogan.
English department and poetry teacher Miss Elizabeth Helmick, who manages the event for Newport and advised Knouse throughout the competition, commented, “I have had the opportunity to see Jordan through her whole journey reciting poetry since she first started in sophomore English class, and it has been very rewarding to watch her grow and improve the whole way. I think she chose poems that really suit her performance style. She was able to show the judges the variety of her performative skills and I think a huge strength for her in this year’s competition was being able to show that range.”
As winner of the Region 10 competition, Knouse moved on to the Pennsylvania state competition on Mar. 4 at the Harrisburg State Museum. There, she competed against 13 representatives from the other Pennsylvania Poetry Out Loud Regions. Students from Miss Helmick’s poetry class went to the competition with Knouse and Miss Helmick.
Knouse had the option to choose different poems for this competition, but she kept the ones she recited at the regional competition. Miss Helmick explained that, in order to prepare for this event, she and Knouse focused on the areas of physical presence and overall performance during practice. Knouse again performed well at the state competition, but did not place. The competition consisted of students from around the state of Pennsylvania from other high schools and art schools.
The opportunity to advance to states in this competition is a rare achievement. Knouse is the first Poetry Out Loud representative from Newport to win at regionals and attend the state competition since Miss Helmick took over management of the program.
Knouse commented, “I am really glad I went to States. Seeing my competition there, I was really proud because everyone was so advanced in their recitations. I learned a lot about public speaking and competing and it was really interesting to see everyone else’s poems.”
