Nantucket High School Senior Danielle Lewis Advances To Massachusetts State Poetry Out Loud Finals

Nantucket High School senior Danielle Lewis has advanced to the final round of the Massachusetts State Poetry Out Loud competition.

Earlier this month, Lewis competed in the Boston Regional Semifinals at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, MA. She represented Nantucket High School and secured one of only three highly competitive spots as a state finalist. Meanwhile, Nantucket High School was publicly recognized for its 10 years of participation in the program.

Only 12 students out of the original 15,000+ school-level competitors will recite three poems each in the historical Old South Meeting House in downtown Boston on Sunday, March 8th, 2026. All finalists will recite works selected from an anthology of more than 400 poems. Judges evaluate student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy.

The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation have created free, standards-based curriculum materials to support Poetry Out Loud, including a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, an online anthology, posters, and video and audio on the art of recitation.

Poetry Out Loud, Massachusetts is presented in partnership with the Huntington Theater Company of Boston, MA, National Endowment for the Arts, and Poetry Foundation. It is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Since the program began in 2005, more than four million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The Massachusetts champion will receive a cash stipend and advance to the national finals later this spring, where $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be distributed.