Grant High School students advance to state Poetry Out Loud competition

Published 9:46 am Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Gio Calandrella and Bena Rodecap, both Grant High School students, will represent Portland at Oregon’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud contest on Saturday, March 8. 

Of 11 Oregon high school students who advanced, two are Portland’s very own.

Poetry Out Loud is a recitation contest for high schoolers, organized in Oregon by the Oregon Arts Commission in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. 

Competitors memorize and present poems, practicing performance skills while exploring the complexity of poetry. 

“The student performances are inspiring and heartfelt every year. It’s exciting to see which poems they choose and the judges did a wonderful job of selecting the group of finalists who will be moving on to the state competition,” Tiff Harker, the Oregon Arts Commission’s arts education/Poetry Out Loud coordinator, said in a statement.

About Gio and Bena

Their bios surely vary in length, as many poet’s poems do, too. 

• Bena is a junior at Grant High School and likes to read, write and volunteer.
• Gio is a freshman at Grant High School and spends his time acting, singing and writing when he’s not working on poetry. He’s currently in the school’s musical and won the da Vinci Arts Middle School’s 2024 poetry slam. Gio is excited for the content because of its challenges, learning opportunities and emphasis on the important of poetry. 

Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterson will host a presentation at the state competition from 1-4 p.m. at Salem’s Historic Grand, 191 High St. N.E.

The state champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, scheduled for May 5-7 in Washington D.C. 

The Poetry Out Loud State Contest is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit poetryoutloud.org.