Sequim High School junior Kianna Miller was named one of three honorable mention award winners at the Washington State Arts Commission’s Poetry Out Loud competition on March 2.

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and coordinated in Washington by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), the program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to schools serving grades 9-12. Students choose and memorize poems from the official “Poetry Out Loud” anthology, a collection of more than 900 classic and contemporary poems.

Madeline Luther, a junior at Okanogan High School was named champion, and Meliza Redulla from North Thurston High School was named first runner-up. Along with Miller, Anneka Siems of Concordia Christian Academy and Kezia Thompson of Squalicum High School were named honorable mention winners.

Rising to the top from a competitive field of more than 18,000 students from 66 schools across the state, Luther will represent Washington State at the National Poetry Out Loud Final later this spring in Washington D.C.

Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure to advance the students to all-school and regional competitions. At each stage of the competition beginning at the classroom level, student recitations are judged according to the Poetry Out Loud evaluation criteria, including physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding and accuracy.