On Wednesday, 12 students performed in the 2024 Poetry Out Loud School Competition in the library. They delivered a wide range of poems, both contemporary and historical, memorized from Poetry Out Loud’s collection.
During the competition, organized by the school chapter of National English Honors Society, each student recited two poems. Senior Presley George selected “Piano” by D.H. Lawrence and “April Midnight” by Arthur Symons.
“‘Piano’ is more personal to me. It’s about childhood nostalgia and wanting to be a kid again, so I’m excited to express that and show my feelings through someone else’s work,” George said.
Poetry Out Loud takes place annually at West. In previous years, school winners have attended the state and national levels of the contest.
“I did Poetry Out Loud last year, so I knew what to expect,” sophomore Ella Bruner said. “It was a lot of fun to [learn] my poems and [be] able to perform for my friends beforehand and then perform here.”
Four judges observed the event, rating students on categories including physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding and overall performance.
“I like to see kids getting up there and taking a risk. It takes a lot of courage to get up there and perform something in front of a crowd,” English teacher and judge Diana Lurkins said. “It’s such a great learning experience for them.”
In the end, freshman Alisha Yin and junior Felicity Jackson won third and second place respectively, while senior Dana Zafarani took home the champion title. Zafarani performed “Listening in Deep Space” by Diane Thiel and “My Darling Turns to Poetry at Night” by Anthony Lawrence.
“The emotion elicited through the poems was really meaningful. I loved it. It took a bit of practice to get along with it, but I really enjoyed them,” Zafarani said.
![Striking a pose following their group dance, the 2024 Mr. Longhorn contestants welcome their audience to the show. Throughout the night, the nine competitors participated in an occupational section, skits for the talent portion and a fashion attire show before finalists were interviewed. “It's a fun time getting to hang out with my friends and doing [our] acts. I think I'm most excited for my performance with [seniors Bart Connors, Gavin Hamlin and Colin Hughes]. I like that I get to dance a little bit. I don't think I'm very good, but I'm gonna try my best to put on a show,” contestant and senior Henry Wild said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC_9759-1200x798.jpg)
![Standing with girls cross country team mascot Pump the pumpkin, senior Sydney Etchason laughs with her teammates. Before the team’s senior night, Etchason undertook an odyssey to recover the pumpkin, which had been stolen by boys cross country. “We went through practice, and then a little birdie told me that it was in [senior] Emmett [Vernon's] car. I [offered Vernon] $50 to give us our pumpkin back, and we got Pump back,” Etchason said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0002-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Voter registration is open for November’s presidential election through Oct. 9. On Oct. 2, students at West High were able to receive assistance with online registration in the library. “When I went into the library to [register to] vote, [librarian] Lauren Reusch made completing my registration very easy and clear. It’s important to learn about voting and it’s important that schools help with voter registration, because it can be confusing for first-time voters,” senior Gianna Lionelli said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-03-at-1.53.06 PM-1200x795.png)
![Moviegoers smile for a picture after watching the Bollywood movie “3 Idiots.” The event ran from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 and was open to students across the Parkway School District. “I decided to come to the movie night because I wanted to introduce my non-Indian friends to the rich culture and entertainment of Bollywood. One of my favorite parts [of the night] was the combination of [the] amazing food and the pure comedic entertainment. [It] was unmatched,” sophomore Aryan Allu said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_5479-e1710180016483-1200x900.jpg)
![Principal John McCabe announces that Jeffrey Chazen has won Teacher of the Year. Chazen was discussing freedom of speech with his AP Government class when the door opened and administrators rushed in. “[I was] extremely happy and humbled, but mostly shock[ed]. I've been here longer than any other teacher, so I know most of the people on the list of Teachers of the Year, and they are amazing teachers themselves,” Chazen said. “It's just nice to be on the list with them, including [social studies teacher Kristen] Collins, who is the only other social studies teacher who has won Teacher of the Year. It was nice to bring something back to the social studies department.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0021-1-2-1200x801.jpg)
![Kicking off dress rehearsal, Mr. Longhorn contestant and senior Carson Hughes goes over the group routine alongside other competitors. With just two days of practice, all participants learned the entirety of their introductory dance, chose an occupation to embody and crafted skits for the show. “The best part of this [whole thing] was learning the dance and just practicing with the guys. We [have to] try not to laugh the whole time, but we're having a lot of fun,” Hughes said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_5112-1-e1732164157549-1200x812.jpg)
![Blending together a concoction for a science experiment, science teacher Joel Anderson scares his students by bringing excitement and thrill into his classroom for his annual Halloween show. It took about six weeks for Anderson to set up his classroom for the show. “It’s pure terror. I came up with this idea a couple decades ago to do something fun for Halloween. So I pretend to be this mad scientist [that creates] a Frankenstein-like creature [with the class], learning a little bit of science along the way and [then ending] with a laser show. It’s just for fun; entertainment value,” Anderson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0021.JPG_-1200x800.jpg)
Will Gonsior • Jan 19, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Thank you Serena
Dana is a superstar
haiku WE LIKE THAT