Written by Class of 2025 and the DVGS Editorial Team
Photos by Shine Yuan, Erica Lai (Class of 2024), and Serene Chin (Class of 2023)

On January 20th, 2023, the students of IGDVS came together to share and enjoy the art of poetry. The annual Poetry Out Loud competition gave the students an opportunity to express themselves creatively through poetry, as they not only recited but also gave life to the poems they chose. After preliminary rounds within each class, fifteen contestants were chosen to compete at the school level.

The event began with Estelle Ooh, Utpala Stanton (class of 2028), and Selene Luong (Class of 2027), who recited a variety of heartfelt poems, ranging from “Amor Mundi” by Christina Rossetti to “Being” by Tanaya Winder.

The poetic performances continued with Isabella Akin-Paz, Zoe Hui, Lita Li (Class of 2026), Ashley Dong, Katrina Hu, and Celina Li (Class of 2025), who enlivened their recitations with animated gestures and vocal inflections. 

Last but not least were the junior and senior contestants: Cherry Ngo, Katherine Wang (Class of 2024), Abigail Gong, Amy Liu, Veronica Tee, and Phoenix Vo (Class of 2023). Their poems were diverse in content and mood but were expressed powerfully and thoughtfully.

The Poetry Out Loud experience fostered public speaking skills, as well as an opportunity to explore new avenues of creative expression for the contestants. Since it was her first time participating in Poetry Out Loud, Selene was glad it allowed her to grow. “I was nervous, but… I [was] happy that I could try something that is out of my comfort zone,” she said. Celina enjoyed the experience as well, remarking that “it was nice to express [myself] through poems.” For Katherine, Poetry Out Loud was “such a fun and immersive experience.”

A week after the competition, the top three finalists were announced— Amy Liu, Phoenix Vo, and Abigail Gong— with Amy and Phoenix moving on to represent the school at the Mendocino County Poetry Out Loud competition later this month.

Special thanks to our performance judges Mr. James Nguyen and Ms. Xiaojuan Shu! Congratulations to the finalists, and thank you to all who participated!