Sophomore Barrie Feusi won the Poetry Out Loud (POL) school competition, Dec. 11. He recited the poems “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and “Riprap” by Gary Snyder.

As champion, Feusi moved onto the Sacramento County competition, Jan. 7, where he faced 16 other competitors in front of an audience of about 70 people but didn’t place first or second.

The winner of the county competition was Maya Haines from McClatchy High School. She will go on to the state competition; the runner-up is an alternate.

Feusi said he was surprised that some of his competitors were having problems reciting their poems because they hadn’t completely memorized all of the words.

This year only three people participated in the POL school contest (last year there were six)—Feusi, sophomore Blair Wigney and junior C. K. Keiner.

Each recited two poems of choice from memory in front of an audience of about 20 people.

Wigney recited “Helen” by Hilda Doolittle and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost; Keiner recited “In California: Morning, Evening, Late January” by Denise Levertov and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth.

Keiner was last year’s winner. He went on to the county competition, where he placed in the top five but did not advance to state finals.

The three were judged on multiple criteria, including physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, and overall performance.

The judges were English teachers Brooke Wells, Patricia Fels and Jane Bauman, and librarian Joanne Melinson.

Keiner took second place and Wigney third.

“I think Barrie brought a freshness to the reading that impressed the judges. His choice of poems was successful, mixing a classic with a modern local voice,” POL advisor Joel Rickert said.

“I think all of us that listened to their performance felt inspired,” Bauman said.
Feusi is looking forward to competing next year.