Students from Greenfield Community College have been chosen to be finalists in a prestigious UK poetry competition. Poetry By Heart is a national competition for students across the UK. The finalists will have an opportunity to perform their poem at The Globe theatre in London.
Students browsed independently through different genres and categories of poetry on the official website until a poem spoke out to them. The objective of the competition is to be able to recite and perform their chosen poem from memory. Year 11 students kick-started their preparations in an enrichment class.
Students gave up their own time and spent a number of weeks meeting with Mrs Davison on a Thursday evening to practise learning their poems. They rehearsed the poems to a point where they could confidently have them recorded by video and sent off to the organisers.
Eight students took part in the recordings: Jack Lowe, Amy Errington, Sophie Capstack and Erin Davison from Y11; Grace Hardy from Y10; Owain McTighe and Hannah Lawson from Y9 and Alfie Hardy from Y7. The standard was very high from all the students, as was demonstrated by their success.
From over a thousand entries nationwide, around ninety finalists have been invited to the next round of judging. Three of Greenfield’s students, Jack Lowe, Amy Errington and Owain McTighe have made it through. All three have been invited down to The Globe in London to watch Shakespeare’s King Lear on Sunday 19 June and then take part in a variety of poetry workshops, including having an opportunity to perform on stage at the world famous Globe. For Y11 students this does clash with a GCSE examination, but organisers have kindly promised to give them an opportunity next year.
A spokesperson said: “A big well done to all of the students involved, we are thrilled to see their creativity rewarded.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
