Juniors Jordan Hartley, Chris Danko, and sophomore Elizabeth Ferrell were selected as the top three winners in a competition based on poetry recitation yesterday.

Six Wenatchee High School participants selected a poem of their choice and presented it in an individualistic way, through either their own interpretation or what they believe the author’s was.

“The students recite a memorized poem and are judged on criteria similar to an oral interpretation done here at the high school,” English teacher and competition adviser Michelle Smith said.

The winners earned spots at the regional Poetry Out Loud competition in Yakima on Feb. 5.

Ferrell chose the poem ‘Always Something More Beautiful’ by Stephen Dunn for her entry. “For me, I was able to connect to it because I do running and he [the author] took the approach of connecting running to normal life and how those two go hand in hand,” Ferrell said. “I wanted to find something that I was passionate about.”

The competition focuses on students putting themselves out into the world in a creative, unique light; pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and finding themselves in something they might not have imagined.

“I never thought I could be a poetry lover, but ever since I worked on it in seventh grade I just thought it was so cool,” Ferrell said, smiling.