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The words of Robert Frost, E.E. Cummings and Paul Muldoon rang through the school auditorium as a group as Redmond High students took poetry to center stage.

More than 20 Redmond students took part in a local entry in the national Poetry Out Loud recital competition, with each giving his or her best inflection of poems old and new, well-known and more obscure. They qualified for the schoolwide competition by performing well in contests in individual English classes.

“The students are incredibly enthusiastic,” said Angela Liesching, one of the English teachers who organized the Feb. 7 event. “It’s such a joy to plan this for them, and see them just shine.”

A spotlight shined on the students as they spoke from the stage in a room that was otherwise dark except for some lights in the back for the three-judge panel. Some passionately recited their poem, while others needed to bring notes or ask for a bit of help from a teacher. But they all appeared to love the experience.

“I still feel nervous, but with all the practice and help from my teacher, I feel more ready than if I had to do this by myself,” sophomore Jaxon Herrmann said before taking the stage.

Jaxon, 16, ended up finishing fifth in the competition with his reading of Cummings’ “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in],” Jaxon used expressions and arm movements to drive home his reciting the poem, which he said is about love and letting go of love.

Students practiced at lunch and after school for a couple weeks preparing for the contest.

“For me, it pushes me out of my comfort zone to speak in front of an audience, which is something I don’t normally do,” said freshman Erin Wanamaker, 14, who finished fourth in the contest.

Junior Trinity Cobb finished first in the Redmond competition and will advance to regional competition in Portland. One ultimate winner will be determined at the national competition in Washington, D.C.

More than 3 million students have taken part in Poetry Out Loud, which was created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, at 10,000 schools across the country, Liesching said.

Students were judged on several factors, including their voice work, dramatic approach, physical presence, how accurate the recital of the poem is and overall performance.

“Poetry is writing to be heard,” said Michaela Conley, one of three judges at the event. “You miss so much of it if you just read it off the paper.”

Conley, a 2013 Redmond High graduate, is now a theater teacher at Central Christian School in Redmond and program director at Cascades Theatrical Company in Bend. She said reciting poetry requires some of the same abilities as acting.

Redmond High first had a Poetry Out Loud contest in 2009, but wasn’t able to keep it going. It was brought back last year on a smaller scale and grew for 2018.

“They didn’t have anything like this when I was here,” Conley said. “It makes me happy that they have it now, because I have a real heart for poetry.”

While the competition required students to select poems from an online Poetry Out Loud anthology of more than 900 contemporary and classic selections, it also included a showcase for students to recite original poems.

“It really is a celebration of the literary arts and poetry in particular,” Liesching said.

Poetry Out Loud should only get better in the future, Liesching said.

“I think next year is going to be even bigger and it will continue to grow,” she said. “We’re excited for it to be an annual event.”

Jaxon advises other students to jump at the chance to take part in poetry.

“Don’t be afraid of the word ‘poetry,’ ” he said. “A lot of people think it’s not the cool thing to go to a Poetry Out Loud, but, if you really like it, you should do it. Don’t care what other people think.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com