Poetry and public speaking are cited by some students as being among their least favorite topics. But a contest that is coming to Baldwin for the first time aims to change that perception.

The Poetry Out Loud organization encourages students to learn about poetry through memorization and recitation by offering contests and rewards for the winners. Students in Krystal Schulte’s senior Advanced Placement Literature Composition class will be the participants in the competition at Baldwin.

Among those students is senior Makayla Davic.

“I love poetry and acting, so this competition is a great combination of the two. It will be a great experience for everyone and it is a perfect example of things in the class getting applied to the real world,” Davic said.

Judges for the contest will be Schulte, Curriculum Director Andrea Huffman, and librarian Brigetta Del Re.

“The competition aligns with the ending of our poetry unit in the class, so it’s a nice way for them to showcase that they understand poems on a deeper level and are able to convey their understanding through recitation,” Schulte said.

Each student must recite a poem by memory, chosen from a list provided by Poetry Out Loud. They will be judged according to rubrics provided by the organization.

“This opportunity really gives the students a chance to express their interest in poetry, since they get to chose the poem they most connected with,” Schulte said.

The top Baldwin student from will go on to represent the school at the regional competition in Regent Square Theater in Pittsburgh. The winner there will go on to a state competition, and possibly the national contest.

The Baldwin competition will be held at the Baldwin Bean during first and second periods on Dec. 21. The competition will be closed just to judges and the students participating, due to the size limitations of the Bean.

The competition coordinators are working on setting up a live stream for teachers and classes interested in watching the competition.