NASELLE — The annual Poetry Elocution Contest in the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District’s Commons on Friday, Feb. 3, featured the top three students from grades one through eight performing poems in front of a panel of community judges.

The audience was treated to an evening of impressive performances by every grade level. Eighth-grader Ellexa Lebovitz, for example, recited a poem from memory containing 154 lines and about 600 words. In more ways than one, it was truly an evening to remember.

This was the culmination of earlier poetry recitations by every elementary and middle school student. Using consistent criteria, judging panels of school staff members and community members made the top-three selections from each class.

That rubric guided the judges to look for: Poise — How calm and confident the student appeared in front of the group? Audibility — How well could the student be heard? Enunciation — How clearly did the student speak? Was the student easy to understand? Retention — Was the student able to recite the entire poem without prompts? Expression and Delivery — How did the student’s voice quality, facial expressions and body movements fit the meaning/feeling of their poem?

The Feb. 3 recitals were again made before a panel of judges who, using the same rubric, ranked the students from each of the eight classes.

These are the students, their ranking, the title of the poem they selected and the name of the author:

First Grade — Jessie Smith, First Place, “I Look in the Mirror” by Helen Moore; Gus Burkhalter, Second Place, “Anteater” by Shel Silverstein; Avrey Ford, Third Place, “Lazy Jane” by Shel Silverstein.

Second Grade — Brianna Johnson, First Place, “When I Was a Baby” by Bruce Lansky; Delaney Gray, Second Place, “What Nerve You’ve Got” by Minerva Mott; Kaytie Johnson, Third Place, “My Creature” by Jack Prelutsky.

Third Grade — Hannelie Popkin, First Place, “Yellow Rose of Texas” by author unknown; Capri Parrino, Second Place, “My Sister Ate an Orange” by Jack Prelutsky; Trajen Ford, Third Place, “No Difference” by Shel Silverstein.

Fourth Grade — Alia Lebovitz, First Place, “My Mother Does My Homework” by Kenn Nesbitt; Madison Petteys, Second Place, “I Tried to Take a Selfie” by Kenn Nesbit; Cole Weston, Third Place, “Basketball’s My Favorite Sport” by Kenn Nesbitt.

Fifth Grade — Lewis Hoff, First Place, “You Can’t Make Me Eat That” by Jack Prelutsky; Kamila Lozano, Second Place, “The Dragon of Grandly Grun” by Shel Silverstein; Maggie Ware, Third Place, “I Like to Bake” by Vivien Wade.

Sixth Grade — Haley Eastham, First Place, “I Should Have Stayed in Bed Today” by Jack Prelutsky; Lauren Katyryniuk, Second Place, “I Never Want to Go to Bed” by Kenn Nesbitt; Isabella Colombo, Third Place, “Personal Slave” by Kenn Nesbitt.

Seventh Grade — Theron Frame, First Place, “How Did You Die?” by Edmund Vance Cooke; Grace Hunt, Second Place, “The Lockless Door” by Robert Frost; Hailey Lopez, Third Place, “My Court” by McKay K. Echols.

Eighth Grade — Ellexa Lebovitz, First Place, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss; Travis Popkin, Second Place, “IF” by Rudyard Kipling; Tori Gustafson, Third Place, “My Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog” by Judith Viorst.