Henry Martinez won the 1st place in the regional Poetry Out Loud Competition. He will compete in the state final on March 11.

Memorizing and reciting the poems "Early Affection" by George Moses Horton and "Analysis of Baseball" by May Swenson lead Henry to victory.

He had little time to practice, so his feat was a great surprise to Ms. Howard, Ms. Pena-Davis, Ms. Jackson, and Mr. Stephenson, the teachers who helped him prepare.

Henry remembers being a bundle of nerves before the competition, but after performing he felt relaxed and confident.

Henry will study Computer Science in college, but he wants to keep acting as a hobby.