Ridgefield Poetry Out Loud winner moves on to regional final

Ridgefield — Sophomore Grace Melbuer finished first at Ridgefield High School’s Poetry Out Loud competition for her reading of Rita Mae Reese’s poem, “Dear Reader.” Ridgefield’s school competition took place Jan. 18 at Old Liberty Theater. Natalie Dean, a senior, finished second, followed by Davin Tjia, a sophomore, and Kendall Davis, a freshman, who tied for third place. All students in the school selected and memorized a poem, and performed them in their English classes. Students were evaluated on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness and ability to convey the poem’s meaning. Classroom winners and a wild card advanced to the school’s final. The students worked with Katherine Murphy Lewis, co-founder of the nonprofit arts group From the Ground Up. She presented workshops and tutored small groups in individual classes. The English department brought Lewis in through a grant from the Ridgefield Public Schools Foundation.