With the recitation of "Say Grace" by Emily Jungmin Yoon, Jennifer Shon, a junior at the Portsmouth Abbey School, won the 19th Rhode State Council on the Arts "Poetry Out Loud" competition held in early March at the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich.

Shon, who is from Seoul, Korea, will represent Rhode Island in the national competition in Washington, D.C., April 30-May 2. The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Rhode Island finals receives $200, and the winner's school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The finals will present a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends, with a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

Classical High School’s Kylie Tiemeyer placed second, and Regan Clark, Charlestown, Chariho Regional High School, was third. Honorable mentions went to Zoey Evora, East Providence High School and Jayden Wirawan, Central High School. Providence Country Day School's Mays Miller also competed in the state event.

Evora, who is a senior in the EPHS Career and Tech Center's Fashion program, recited the poem "It Couldn't Be Done" by Edgar Albert Guest. Besides writing and performing her won works of poetry as well, she also designs and makes clothing. Evora was one of the initial recipients of the EPHS Students of the Month initiative started by EPHS English teacher Paul Tarasevich.

Of Evora, Diana Lee, EPHS English teacher and Poetry Out Loud program director there, said, "(Zoey) is really awesome...She is such an amazing and outgoing student who is a role model for many."

More than 1,400 students representing 32 schools from around the state participated in this year's Poetry Out Loud competition. Prior to the championship the competitors spent most of the school year studying poetry through learning, memorization and performance.

Besides Evora, two-time previous contest champ Nazarae Phillip was once again among the competitors in the 2024 EPHS Poetry Out Loud event where she was joined by Daizie DePietro, Isabella Hurley, Mianna Gonsalves-McCutcheon, Emma Johanson, Abigail Ellison, Aurora Hofstetter, Kennedy Salgueiro, Davonna Rhodes, Camilla Snyder, Camille Cabral Bennet and Aspen Washington.

Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state championships, and ultimately to the national finals in DC. Since its inception, 3.6 million students from 14,000 high schools nationwide have participated in Poetry Out Loud.