Freshman Noelle Sapp Wins Bridgewater‑Raritan High School’s 11th Annual Poetry Out Loud Competition

Bridgewater‑Raritan High School hosted its 11th annual Poetry Out Loud competition on Friday, January 9, drawing an audience of roughly 100 people to the school’s newly refurbished auditorium. The event concluded with freshman Noelle Sapp being named the 2026 school champion.

Senior Peter Shan earned second place, and freshman Adhya Balaji placed third.

The competition was organized by English teacher Kat Doherty, with juniors Ishaan Shetty and Aishani Uddaraju serving as emcees. Poetry Out Loud is a national program designed to strengthen students’ public speaking skills, build confidence, and promote appreciation for poetry. Participants select a poem from the program’s official database, memorize it, and perform it before a live audience.

Judges evaluated students on interpretation, diction, gestures, emphasis, accuracy, and overall performance. This year’s judging panel included Dr. Kathy Messano, Mike Dalpe, Michelle Henry, and Erin Leigh. Additional event support was provided by Kim Hart (prompter), Mallory Potosky (scorekeeper), and chaperones Melissa Pierce and Phil D’Apolito.

 Twenty students competed in this year’s event: Sapp, Shan, Balaji, Adithya Anand, Cassidy Caruthers, James Cornett, Jaden Daquiz, Aayush Dhar, Aditi Dhara, Meher Dua, Caden Goodrich, Shreya Gupta, Anushka Khedlekar, Madison Mattis, Srishti Mittal, Thomas Pelaez, Shaant Sachdeva, Oliver Shoaf, Lahari Thota, and Erica Zaltzman.

After two rounds of recitations and a 10‑minute deliberation period, the top three performers were announced.
• Sapp secured first place with her performances of “An Apology” by Julia Ward Howe and “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
• Shan earned second with “Collectors” by Marion Strobel and “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg.
• Balaji placed third with “My House” by Claude McKay and “Militants to Certain Other Women” by Katherine Rolston Fisher.
Sapp will advance to the regional Poetry Out Loud competition at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 2, held at the Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) in Morristown.

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