Poetry Out Loud

In 2026, ROMP hosted its 5th annual regional contest for Poetry Out Loud. Any 9th-12th grade student in the Northeastern Oklahoma region whose school does not conduct the program can participate through ROMP. Home-schooled students in the region can also participate.

Poetry Out Loud is a wonderful program that encourages teenagers to find poems that have meaning for them, learn them by heart, and perform them in competition. The poems are all selected from the Poetry Out Loud anthology and website. The winner of the ROMP regional contest will go on to the state contest in Edmond, and the state winner will compete in the national contest in Washington, D.C.

2026 Winner

The 2026 winner was Collin Walters, a senior at Broken Arrow High School. The 2nd place winner was Avery Wright, Oologah High School, and 3rd place was Adriana Parker, Broken Arrow High School. Collin will represent the area in this year’s state competition.

1ST Place, Collin Walters
2nd Place, Avery Wright
3rd Place, Adriana Parker
1st-2nd-3rd!
Shaun Perkins, ROMP director, Collin Walters, Kailiana Russell, Adriana Parker, Kamryn O’Brien, Khloe Turney, Avery Wright, Laneigh Locken

2025 Winner

The 2025 winner was Jamie Smothers! The 2nd place winner was Avery Wright, and 3rd place was Avery Collier. All three students are from Oologah High School. The winners received trophies and all participants received a poetry bracelet. Jamie also received $100 to defray expenses for the regional contest at Edmond. Their teacher Jennifer Denslow was awarded $100 as a poetry ambassador.

3rd Place, Avery Collier
2nd place, Avery Wright
Winner, Jamie Smothers
Jennifer Denslow, poetry ambassador
Maycee Becker, Jamie Smothers, Avery Collier, Avery Wright

Thank you, judges Bill Guthrie, Roxann Yates, and Kelly Palmer. Also, thanks, Roxann for the photos.

Poetry Out Loud is a wonderful program that encourages teenagers to find poems that have meaning for them, learn them by heart, and perform them in competition. The poems are all selected from the Poetry Out Loud anthology and website. The winner of the ROMP regional contest will go on to the state contest in Edmond, and the state winner will compete in the national contest in Washington, D.C.

2024 Regional Contest

The winner of the 2024 contest for the 2nd year in a row was Jamie Smothers, Oologah High School. Also, Jamie was the runner-up at the state contest for the 2nd year in a row!

Jamie Smothers, Winner, Poetry Out Loud 2024
  • 2nd place winner Jenna Wells
  • Winner Jamie Smothers
  • Poetry Ambassador Winner Jennifer Denslow
  • 3rd Place winner, Tanner Kallan

In 2023, ROMP’s regional winner Jamie Smothers won Runner-Up at the state competition!

2023 Winner: Jamie Smothers, Oologah High School

  • Poetry Out Loud contestants
  • 2nd Place, Jenna Wells, Oologah High School
  • Oologah High School Teacher Jennifer Denslow
  • ROMP Poetry Out Loud judges and director, Bill Guthrie, Roxann Yates, Shaun Perkings, Kelly Palmer
  • 3rd Place, Tanner Kallum, Oologah High School
  • The Top Three

2022 Winners

  • ROMP Director Shaun Perkins, Teacher Faith Phillips, Contestants: Tyla Sawney, Kensington Walker, Tanner Kallam, Jackson Wells, Bree Alberty, Teacher Jennifer Denslow. Front Row: Contestants Emily Alberty, Dallas Green, Abby Nesbitt
  • 2nd Place: Emily Alberty, Oologah High School
  • 3rd Place, Abby Nesbitt, Oologah High School
  • Winners!
  • Contestants: Tyla Sawney, Stilwell High School, and from Oologah High School: Tanner Kallam, Kensington Walker, Jackson Wells, Bree Alberty, and ROMP director Shaun Perkins
  • Winner: Dallas Green, Oologah High School

The winner of our contest, Dallas Green, Oologah High School, went to the state contest on March 8, 2022, in Edmond. The national competition was April 25-27, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Read more about the program and the poems at Poetry Out Loud. ROMP will sponsor this contest yearly.