Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills High School
Several Vestavia Hills High School students received statewide recognition at the Alabama Poetry Out Loud Competition, held Feb. 26 at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.
In the National Anthology competition, Avery Brooks and Namira Rubaiyath both finished among the state’s top six competitors. Brooks was also named first runner-up in the category.
Vestavia students also performed strongly in the Original Poetry competition. Cannon Ozug and Namira Rubaiyath placed among the state’s top six, with Rubaiyath finishing second overall. Rubaiyath also received awards for “Most Well-Written” poem and “Most Socially Relevant” poem.
Poetry Out Loud, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts, is a national poetry recitation program that encourages students to build public speaking skills, confidence and appreciation for literature. Since its launch in 2005, the program has involved more than 4.5 million high school students nationwide.
