An Elk County teen participated recently in Pennsylvania’s 2017 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest hosted by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts at The State Museum of Pennsylvania auditorium in Harrisburg.

First Lady Frances Wolf welcomed the 15 regional finalists from across the state to the capital city and the state championship.

Among the finalists was Kayla Shutters, an 11th grade student in the St. Marys Area School District.

The finalists were chosen from close to 7,000 high school students who participated in this year’s competition in 108 schools across the Commonwealth.

Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The contest is facilitated through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, working with regional partners.

Each student memorized and prepared three poems selected from print and online poetry anthologies. All 15 students performed in the first two rounds of competition, and five students took part in the third and final round for the championship. Students were judged on voice and articulation, physical presence, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy.

For further information on Poetry Out Loud, visit the website www.poetryoutloud.org.