Poetry Out Loud

For over a decade, Whitesboro High School has been competing in the national recitation competition, Poetry Out Loud. Each year, students from Whitesboro compete; first in a classroom competition, then in a schoolwide competition where the classroom winners face off to become school champion. The top two students move on to the regional competition to face winners from other high schools. Remarkably, Whitesboro has won and moved on to compete for the title of New York State Champion five times. Now, that number is six!

Although we have never had a state champion, we have always placed well, with our top finish coming in second place, just a few points away from moving on to the national competition in Washington, D.C. Not surprisingly, Whitesboro students have earned a fine reputation as outstanding competitors.

That being said, this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition was an exciting challenge for our students, many of whom felt they had what it takes to become New York State Champion. More than 100 Whitesboro students competed in classroom competitions, and 16 students moved on to compete for the title of Whitesboro High School Champion. In an incredibly close contest, Cayden Young edged out Matt Brinck, who was a regional finalist last year. The two of them went to Syracuse for the regionals in February and did incredibly well, with Cayden Young being named Regional Champion.

The state finals were held on March 9 in New York City, at The Fashion Institute of Technology. Against the other regional winners and runner-ups, Cayden Young rose to the challenge and performed his absolute best.

“Unfortunately, I didn't win,” Cayden said. "It was a tough competition; they were all amazing. I have definitely learned a few things based on watching the top five students perform.” With his typical upbeat attitude, he added, “I will definitely be back next year!” 

Congratulations to both Matt Brinck, who is graduating in the class of 2024, and Cayden Young, who we hope to see win it all next year.

A special "thank you" goes to the Whitesboro Literary Magazine and the English department, who help to make this contest a reality each year, as well as all the faculty and staff that support the program in numerous ways.