The regional champion of the Poetry Out Loud competition is Allyah Smith from St. Joseph Christian School.

Students competed Tuesday in the 2018 Poetry Out Loud Northwest Regional Finals hosted by the Allied Arts Council.

According to a press release, Allyah Smith from St. Joseph Christian School was the regional champion, and the first runner-up was Sydney Cox from Lathrop R-II High School.

Smith will advance to the state finals March 8th in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Judges Lindsay Prawitz, Linda Riddle, Karl Wellenkoetter, and Cathy Ketter presided over the competition and evaluated student performances on criteria including physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance, and accuracy.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Beginning at the school level, winners advance to a regional competition, then to a state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, DC.

The competition was presented by the Allied Arts Council in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, the Missouri Arts Council and Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies.

For more information, visit poetryoutloud.org.