Inaugural Poetry Out Loud Event

Today, in the Space, six courageous upper-school innovators memorized a poem, stepped onto the stage, and delivered their chosen poem to their peers. This was NEIA’s inaugural Poetry Out Loud competition, and our community did not disappoint. The crowd was reverent and encouraging. Ben emceed. The judges (Mira, Camp, Tamara, Kaitlin) took this responsibility very seriously. And the contestants showed out! Here are their names and the poem they performed:

• Ellis, “Every day as a wide field, every page” by Naomi Shihab Nye
• Langston, “I, Too” by Langston Hughes
• Eddie, “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost
• Bella, “Ways of Talking” by Ha Jin
• Jack, “Burning the Old Year” by Naomi Shihab Nye
• Darshan, “Ah! Why, Because the Dazzling Sun” by Emily Brontë

We are pleased to announce that this year’s winner is Langston, with Ellis as our runner-up. Langston will progress to a regional competition, representing NEIA to the wider world! All of the contestants should be very proud of themselves for their hard work.

When announcing the winner, Mira said, “It’s no small feat to be the inaugural group to do something—and these six set the stage well for years to come. Thank you as well to the encouraging and attentive audience, and to the many staff who supported this initiative.”