Every year the state has a Poetry Out Loud (POL) contest. This year Kahdija Ceesay, freshman, went to Salina to compete at the state level on March 5.

There were a total of six participants, one from each region, but no representative from the Lawrence region.

“I love seeing the quality of students and recitations from around the state,” said Deb Kohn, Kansas Poetry Out Loud Coordinator.

Ceesay performed three poems “God’s Grandeur,” “Dear Reader” and “Onions.”

Ruth Moritz, KSU Polytech; Ruthann Harris, former Kansas Teachers of English president; Lori Brack, Bethany College; and Morgan Allred, professional slam poet, judged. The accuracy judge was Karilea Rilling Jungel, poet and prose writer.

Contestants were evaluated on criteria such as physical presence, voice, evidence of understanding and accuracy.

The contest started around 7 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m.

“The state contest and competition are phenomenal,” Kohn said.

Ceesay said she practiced her poems a lot, so performing was easy.

Although Ceesay did not win the state competition, she said she will compete again next year.

“There were a lot of people with more experience,”Ceesay said.

The winner, Sarah Katsitiannis, student at Tipton Catholic High School, will perform in Washington D. C., on May 5.

“Just have fun, [the competition] is just about sharing poetry,” Ceesay said she learned from performing in the contest.

Kohn said she would recommend students to try the POL contest because it’s an “incredible experience with an opportunity for travel and monetary reward.”