TA Hosts 16th Annual Poetry Out Loud Contest, Caroline Watts ’25 Advances to State Semifinals
March 11, 2025
Thetford Academy hosted its 16th annual Poetry Out Loud recitation contest in the Martha Jane Rich Theater on Monday, with performances from 11 talented TA students. Poetry Out Loud, “a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry,” has become a TA tradition and is a staple of the school’s English 10 curriculum. The contest not only exposes students to poetry, but also helps them master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.
This year’s contestants, Rowan Moody A’Ness ’27, Lola Squire ’27, Aiden Otterman ’27, Jillian Fein ’27, Caroline Watts ’25, Christopher “Kit” Payson ’27, Ethan Cook ’27, Daniel Mann ’26, Natalie Lewis ’25, Molly Joyce ’27, and Twyla Weinstein ’26 (as well as Nicholas Smallwood ’27, who opened the event with a poem for calibration) selected, memorized, and performed their poems for a team of community judges.
The judges – alumna and Upper Valley actor and director Kay Morton ’76, alumna and former Poetry Out Loud contestant Grace Solsaa ’24, and local poet and editor Jim Schley – evaluated the students’ performances on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding and overall performance. English 10 teacher Emily Silver organized the event with fellow English teacher Joe Deffner. Joe also served as the event’s emcee.
At Thetford Academy, Caroline Watt’s recitation of The Mortician in San Francisco earned her first place and a trip to the Barre Opera House to compete in the state semifinal competition on March 6th. Twyla Weinstein took second place with her performance of Fairy Tale with Laryngitis and Resignation Letter by Jehanne Dubrow.
In Barre, Caroline performed both The Mortician in San Francisco and We Are Not Responsible by Harryette Mullen. View Caroline’s performances at 51:45 and 1:28:20 in this video by event sponsor, the Flynn Theater. “Though she did not advance to the state finals,” says Emily Silver, “she performed magnificently.” This was Caroline’s first time competing in the contest and after the event, she shared that she found the experience to be very positive. She enjoyed connecting with the other students and felt honored to make it to this level.
A heartfelt thank you to our three judges, our accuracy judge Kate Owen, sound tech Abby MacGregor, and lighting tech Hugo Billiau ’25, for making this year’s event a success. A special shout out to judge Kay Morton, who worked with Caroline as a coach and mentor for her performance in Barre (and many others before her!). Finally, a big congratulations to all of our Poetry Out Loud participants for their outstanding performances!