During the month of December, students competed in the Poetry Out Loud contest as well as the Shakespeare recitation contest.

On Dec. 3, seven contestants recited poems they chose from the Poetry Out Loud website.

Khadija Ceesay recited “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain” by Emily Dickinson.

Ceesay, freshman, placed first.

“I read it a couple times and none of the other poems appealed to me,” she said.

Ceesay qualified for regionals which will take place on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 9:30 a.m. at Shawnee Mission West. She will recite two poems of her choosing, one of which must be from the 19^th century or earlier.

Miriam Ward, junior, placed second and Emily Turner, sophomore, placed third.

Contestants were judged on their understanding of the poem, their presence, and their voice.

The Shakespeare contest took place on Dec. 16, where 14 students recited 20‑line monologues.

Liam Chewning recited Lewis from “King John,” Act 5 Scene 2.

Chewning, junior, placed first.

He will move on to the Kansas City branch competition which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 28. He will recite not only his monologue, but a sonnet as well.

Aleks Kostic, junior, placed second while Turner placed third.

Actors were judged on mostly the same criteria.

All of the poetry and Shakespeare contestants were commended for their performances by this year’s judges: Candy Birch, Roger Ramseyer, David Hastings and Cathy Smith.