Island's Arial Leeper Participates in State Poetry Contest

Arial Leeper (right) took top place in a Poetry Out Loud contest in February on Mackinac Island with her performance of "The Owl and the Pussycat," by Edward Lear. Michi Mullings (left) placed second with the poem "The Orange" by Wendy Cope. Students were coached by Lance Greenlee, the high school English teacher. Arial Leeper, a junior at Mackinac Island Public School, enjoys being in the spotlight and the Island judges enjoyed her performance of "The Owl and the Pussycat," by Edward Lear, awarding her the top position in the Poetry Out Loud contest on Mackinac Island last month. The honor sent her to the state competition in Lansing, Saturday, March 8, where she did well, said her English teacher, Lance Greenlee. The contest was won by Charles White of Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids.

Michi Mullings, also a junior, placed second in the Island competition.

The national poetry program is designed to bring attention to poetry as an oral art form. Through the program, students improve public speaking skills, build self confidence, and increase their knowledge of poetry by publicly reciting it.

"I really like being in front of people," said Miss Leeper, "and to be on stage."

The Poetry Out Loud contest begins in the classroom and advances to a school competition, with a winner selected to attend the state championship. State winners compete nationally. Last year, more than 100,000 students across the country participated.

Students are required to give an oral presentation of a poem they memorize, and interpret its meaning through tone, expression, and movements.

The upbeat mood and tone drew Miss Leeper to choose the "The Owl and the Pussycat," a whimsical, nonsense poem that focuses on the love between the owl and the cat. Memorizing it was like learning a song, she said, and only took her two days.

"I really like kids," she said. "It's a children's poem, and it was really easy for me to relate to it."

Runner-up Michi Mullings performed the lighthearted poem, "The Orange," by Wendy Cope.

"It was a very fun poem," she said. "I understood what it meant because it was about everyday life. It is just how one thing can make you happy."

This is the first year the Island school has participated in the event, said Mr. Greenlee, who coached students on their presentations. Students in grades nine through 12 were eligible to take part in the reading. The event fit into his teaching plans, he said, since he has been looking for a way to spark student interest in poetry.

"I like poetry quite a bit," he said, "yet students seem to find it just an academic exercise."

Next year, Mr. Greenlee plans to promote the program to increase community involvement in the poetry reading when the winner is selected.

Students could choose from 500 poems and to help them prepare for the event, the school was given a DVD containing the performances of last year's finalists.

Since winning the local contest, Miss Leeper has been preparing presentations on two additional poems. The state competition requires three poems as participants advance. For the state competition, she presented John Donne's poem, "Song," and Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem, "Recuerdo."

In Lansing, Ms. Leeper competed against 15 other students from around the state. The state winner received $200 and an allexpenses paid trip to the national contest in Washington, D.C. The student's school will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books. On the national level, the winner receives a $20,000 college scholarship.

All Michigan schools can participate in the contest. The program is a partnership with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Library of Michigan, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation. Mackinac Island West Bluff cottager and poet John Barr is president of the Poetry Foundation.

"To learn a great poem by heart is to make a friend for life," said Mr. Barr. "The national recitation program brings fresh energy to an ancient art form by returning it to the classrooms of America."

Mr. Greenlee determined the top 10 students from the school, which included Jesse Straight, Maggie Chambers, Marie Bunker, Morgan Brodeur-Bunker, Danielle Wightman, Fuller Cowell, Robert Chambers, Kyle Sweet, and Sara Cowell.

The contest was judged by Dan Seeley, Pam Finkel, and Trish Martin.

The national finals will be at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

Semifinal rounds will take place Monday, April 28, and the finals will be Tuesday, April 29.