Sophomore Danica Labrador won Sonoma Valley High School’s Poetry Out Loud competition on January 28.
There was a large and very supportive audience in the room on the day of the competition, and it featured students from all grade levels — from freshman and sophomore honors English classes to junior and senior AP classes.
In her winning performance, Labrador recited Violins by Rowan Ricardo Phillips.
“I prepared by practicing repeatedly, specifically in front of my family so that I could get used to presenting in front of a crowd,” she said.
Poetry Out Loud is a national competition, with the winning student from Sonoma Valley High School advancing to the county competition. Labrador attended the county competition on February 2. She said, “The county competition was overall a great experience. I got to see amazing poetry performances and see Sonoma State as well.”
Labrador also writes her own poetry, “In fact, I do most of my poetic work during [SVHS’s] creative writing club” she says.
