Red Bank Regional sophomore Shea Grant (second from left) is pictured with Yvonne Scudiery of the Count Basie Theatre, co-finalist Danyal Malik, and Poetry Out Loud program coordinator Kay Potucek during the recent Poetry Out Loud competition at the Basie.

Press release from Red Bank Regional High School

Shea Grant of Little Silver , a sophomore at Red Bank Regional High School, was one of two finalists in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition, held on February 7 at the Count Basie Theatre.

A drama major in RBR’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy, Shea performed three poems for the competition: “Personal” by Tony Hoagland, “Larkinesque” by Michael Ryan, and “Friendship after Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Andrew Forrest, RBR English teacher who coordinates the RBR Poetry Out Loud Program, commented, “Shea is an extremely talented student who was able to work through each poem in a very nuanced way. Her performances were exceptional.”

Danyal Malik of Holmdel was the other finalist, among 19 high school student participants from Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex counties.

The state competition takes place at the College of New Jersey on Thursday, March 9.  Unfortunately, Shea has a previous commitment, as she one of the student actors co-starring in the “Little Shakespeare” production of The Merry Wives of Windsor at Two River Theater. Megan Brown, from Ocean County Vocational and Technical School’s Performing Arts Academy, will be performing in her stead.

NJ Poetry Out Loud is part of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest presented by The Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the past 11 years, it has reached more than 3 million students and 45,000 teachers from 10,000 schools nationwide.