On February 26, 2023, students Renee Wu and Zhuoyu Yang represented Centennial at the regional Poetry Out Loud competition. The event was held at the Howard County Center for the Arts and included numerous students from Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, and Howard counties. 

Both Centennial students previously competed at the school-wide competition on January 9, 2023 before moving on to regionals, where Wu placed first overall.

Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide recitation competition that allows high school students to display their appreciation for poetry and the English language. Contestants are judged on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and their overall performance.

“It was really nice to get to participate in the competition… to learn from others and perform the poems that I have been working on,” Wu responded. “I’m really grateful for the experience… and also grateful to all the teachers like Mr. O’Brien, Mr. VW, and Ms. McDonough who were able to support me.”

Wu will advance to the Maryland state competition on March 18, 2023.

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