Did I get that line right? Am I shaking? Am I moving enough, or am I moving too much? Is the inflection in my voice actually changing, or am I making it up? Does the audience understand what I’m trying to say?

All of these aspects must be considered when reciting poetry, and every year the English department challenges students from all grade levels to put their recitation skills to the test through the Poetry Out Loud competition.

In early January, English teachers invite their students to participate in a class poetry recitation contest. No matter how many students audition in a class, only two can move on to the school-wide competition.

This year, Poetry Out Loud was held on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with performers ranging from freshmen to seniors and poems scattered from romantic to comedic. Of about 19 performers, only three were chosen to move on to regionals.

Senior Caroline Kaminsky, a first time Poetry Out Loud participant, was among the winners with her performances of “300 Goats” by Naomi Shihab Nye and “The Conqueror Worm” by Edgar Allan Poe.

“I misheard someone in my English class talking about a poem of 300 doughnuts, so of course I had to investigate,” she said. “It turned out to be about 300 goats instead, but I was intrigued by the metaphor between goats and people.”

Like Kaminsky, senior co-winner Miranda Mobley chose to participate in Poetry Out Loud for the first time this year, performing “The Arrow and the Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou.

“The first time I read through ‘Caged Bird’ I felt like my soul had been touched. It was so powerful to read and I wanted others to hear it out loud,” Mobley said. “I decided to do ‘The Arrow and the Song’ because it completely contrasted ‘Caged Bird’ and would show off what I had to offer a little bit more.”

Mobley believed her acting experience helped her succeed in the competition and ease her nerves, while Kaminsky’s desire to learn more about poetry motivated her to participate in the competition.

“The most challenging part (of the competition) was waiting for my turn,” Mobley said. “I absolutely love performing and being in front of people, so it was hard to sit still.”

Despite other reasons to participate, no motive challenged junior Maeve Heumann, who performed “The Day” by Geoffrey Brock and “Double Dutch” by Gregory Pardlo, to compete more than the promise of extra credit. To her surprise, she was one of three students chosen to move on to regionals.

“I looked around and thought I had 0 percent chance of winning, but when I recited my poems my legs were shaking like a 9.8 magnitude earthquake,” Heumann said. “They announced that (I) was one of the winners, and I (wondered) how this happened… it all started out as a dream of extra credit and now I’m going to Belleville.”

The three qualifiers will travel to Belleville on Feb. 10 for the regional Poetry Out Loud competition. Kaminsky and Heumann will recite the same poems, while Mobley hopes to recite “Hope is the Thing” by Emily Dickinson along with “Caged Bird.” Each participant is relying on practice to carry them through the competition.

“I’m continuing to rehearse and I hope to perform in front of more people for some criticism,” Kaminsky said. “I hope to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for poetry– an art form that I have only recently begun to explore.”