Methuen High’s 8th Annual Poetry Out Loud Competition
By Sloan Farrell
Poetry Out Loud, a competitive poetry event, took place this January at Methuen High School, along with 19,000 other high schools across the country.
In the competition, students must recite a poem of their choice to their English classes. The winner of
each class continues to the block semifinals, where up to three champions are chosen from each block and proceed to school finals, where they must recite two poems.
11 exceptional students proceeded to the finals in this year’s competition. Grade 12 student Calysa Alba was named the Methuen High School 2024 Poetry Out Loud champion. Calysa went on to represent Methuen High School in the Massachusetts semifinals in March, placing second; the highest any Methuen High School student has placed.
Congratulations to Calysa and the finalists:
POL Champion: Calysa Alba, Grade 12, Mr. Jennings
First Runner-Up: Isabella Cerbone, Grade 11, Ms. O’Sullivan
Second Runner-Up: Maria Clara Teixeira, Grade 9, Ms. Smith
Fabian Montanez Crespo, Grade 12, Ms. Symonds
Myali Dominguez, Grade 12, Ms. Grant
Kelvin Jamie Abreu, Grade 9, Mr. Bellistri
Gabrielle Larochel, Grade 10, Ms. DiGloria
Abigail “Echo” LaRochelle, Grade 12, Ms. Paquette
Yahir Nunez Rivera, Grade 10, Ms. DiGloria
Natalie Silvera, Grade 9, Ms. Smith
Maribelle Spiridon, Grade 12, Mr. McKenna
The Blue & White 