On the strength of their powerful performances of two challenging poems, sophomores Avery Kelly and Emma Schoch earned the honor to represent Maryvale in the national 2026 Poetry Out Loud contest.
The competition requires participants to memorize full poems and recite them with compelling flair in front of live audiences. Established in 2005, the annual event helps students develop public speaking skills, build confidence, and cultivate their appreciation of poetry.
To represent Maryvale on the national stage, Kelly and Schoch first had to win a recitation contest against their classmates.
For her performance, Kelly selected Ella Higginson’s “Dawn,” a poem focused on her favorite part of the day.
“I’m an early riser, and I love sunrises,” Kelly said. “The poem is about sunrise and the first ray of light, and I felt touched by that.”
Higginson’s poem “Dawn” ends with the lines: “Then broad and deep and fair— / Trembling in its new birth from heaven’s womb— / One crimson shaft of dawn sank thro’ my room.”
Schoch selected “America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates, a poem that conveys her love of the United States.
“Being an American is … something I treasure, and I wanted to spread that,” Schoch said.
While many others undoubtedly share their adoration for sunrise and the United States, not everyone is all that fond of memorizing poetry, as Kelly and Schoch were required to do.
In fact, Schoch laughed, many would probably rather die than recite a poem from memory in front of a lot of people.
So why did Kelly and Schoch do it? Both cited their desire to improve their public speaking skills, which prove useful in the classroom, the workplace, and so many other life situations.
As for how they memorized their poems, that’s a matter of careful attention and repetition, they explained.
Kelly approached the task line by line. Whenever she made a mistake in recitation, she’d re-write the troublesome line five times before attempting to recite it again. Kelly said the process took her about two weeks, during which she worked on the poem for roughly 30 minutes a day.
Meanwhile, Schoch broke her poem into four sections. She memorized one section at a time and repeated each one until she got it right.
Unfortunately, neither Kelly nor Schoch could take part in the regional contest due to scheduling conflicts. Both said they might try it again next year.
The experience, though abbreviated, was invaluable, Schoch said.
“The goal is to try and do uncomfortable things,” she said, explaining that there’s much to be learned in times of challenge, even when there are setbacks. It’s all practice for how to navigate difficult circumstances.
Maryvale’s faculty supervisor for the Poetry Out Loud program, English teacher Catherine Kauffmann, conceded that students often don’t enjoy the process of memorization, at least not at first. But the process ultimately proves empowering for most, if not all, of the participants, she said. “When students rise to the occasion, they see what they are capable of, what they are able to communicate.”
The Maryland state finals will be held March 7. Champions from each state will perform in one of three semifinal groups. The top three students from each semifinal group will move on to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 29.
In last year’s competition, Isavel Mendoza, a 12th grade student from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, won the championship and the $20,000 prize after reciting poems by Keith S. Wilson, Kabir, and E.E. Cummings. Teonna Randle, a 12th grade student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, earned second place and the $10,000 prize, while Kaitlyn Lubega, a 12th grade student in Montezuma, New Mexico, placed third and collected $5,000.
