Ridgefield students recite poetry for national competition

Ridgefield — More than two dozen students from the Ridgefield School District participated in the school-level Poetry Out Loud contest on Jan. 18 at Old Liberty Theater, reading the works of both famous and lesser-known poets. Senior Autumn Bochart scored a first-place finish with her rendition of William Wordsworth’s “Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” “Poetry is such an important but unappreciated art form, and it is wonderful that (Ridgefield High School) requires this, because it is something most students would get no exposure to otherwise,” Bochart said in a release from the district. “Poetry can have a lasting impression, especially on impressionable high-schoolers.” Sophomores Cristyn LaChaine and Astro Bock finished second and third, respectively. Ridgefield students worked with Katherine Murphy Lewis, co-founder of the nonprofit arts group From the Ground Up, who spent three days presenting a poetry workshop and following up with tutoring small groups in individual classes. Lewis was brought in on a grant through the Ridgefield Public Schools Foundation. Poetry Out Loud is a national contest encouraging students to learn about poetry through memorization and recitation, and debuted in the 2004-2005 school year. More than 3 million students from 10,000 schools have participated since its inception, according to a release from the school district.