MARQUETTE, MI— Several students will represent the Upper Peninsula at the 2025 Poetry Out Loud State Finals this weekend.
Poetry Out Loud is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. It starts in a high school classroom or at the local level with an area organization. Winners then advance to the state competition, and ultimately to the national level.
Judges will assess the students’ recitations based on physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy.
Participating Saturday in Lansing will be the following U.P. school champions:
- Elli Harju - Calumet High School
- Reino Ranta - Luther L. Wright High School (Ironwood Area Schools) in partnership with Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD
- Dominik Storm - Negaunee High School
For more information about Michigan’s Poetry Out Loud program, visit michiganhumanities.org.
