Students portray power of poetry

SAUGUS – Saugus High School sophomore Caroline Orlando won this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition Wednesday for the second year in row.Orlando, who read “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe, will once again move on to the regional semifinals next month.”I love reading poetry,” said Orlando. “Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite. His twisted ways and the way he uses his vowels are my favorite part of him.”Orlando said last year’s semifinal competition in Framingham was an exciting experience even though her head was spinning and her stomach was turning before taking the stage.”Then when I got up there all that went away,” she said. “And it was the best feeling. It was a great experience and I met a lot of people.”The runners up Wednesday were Leah Kaplan, who came in second with a reading of “It’s the Little Towns I Like” by Thomas Lux, and Gabby Silva, who read “For the Young Who Want To” by Marge Piercy.”I related to it a lot because there’s a lot of pressure to do a career where you get a lot of money, and I’d rather just do something that makes me happy,” said Silva.Silva said she was nervous before her reading, but thought she did OK after.”I’m a big fan of poetry,” she said. “Just the opportunity to even think about getting a chance to do this sounded like a lot of fun. I write poetry sometimes, but no one really reads it. I do it for fun. It’s just a pastime.”Eight students participated in the competition, which is a part of the national Poetry Out Loud contest, where students choose a poem to memorize and recite in front of a panel of judges.”They’re from all different time periods like Shakespeare to modern day poems,” said English teacher Rachel Jylkka-Tesler. “They choose a poem, memorize it and perform it with as much meaning as possible to try and give a performance that shows that they understand the poem. Poetry is so overwhelming for kids. To see them go through this process it’s something that really helps them get a grasp on poetry.”Jylkka-Tesler also served as a judge along with fellow English teacher Michelle Lee. Lee said students spent three weeks practicing their poems.”It shows a lot of dedication,” she said. “They practice at home and we set up assignments like every two nights memorize five lines. In class we’ve been watching study videos of past performances from students that highlight the different elements that are valued in the competition.”Lee said she tried to get students to reflect on the meaning of his or her poem to “enhance their ability to vocalize.” Lee said this made students more confident to get up in front of their friends, which was even more daunting this year after the competition was moved from a class room to the auditorium.”It adds to the level of excitement for them to get up on a stage,” said Lee. “That’s not something they get to do every day. After last year we were feeling so excited about it we thought we’ll try it in the auditorium and really make it feel like it did in the regional round.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].