Students came from Marquette, Petoskey, Detroit, and many more in order to compete in Poetry Out Loud. One participant in this event, however, arrived in Lansing on Mar. 13 from the halls of the Howell High School Freshman Campus. Her name? Anna Stocker.

Poems were recited by 17 freshmen at the first annual Poetry Out Loud National Recitation contest. Armed with only a microphone and their chosen poems, students competed for the chance to move on to compete in the state finals in East Lansing for a prize of $200, an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete in national finals, and a $500 stipend for their school to spend on books.