Hunter Johnson, a sophomore at South Portland High School, has won the school’s Poetry Out Loud event and will represent his community in the regional competition, scheduled for Feb. 11 at the City Theater in Biddeford.

Johnson was one of nine students to compete in the schoolwide event last week, following preliminary competitions held in all the 10th grade English classes, according to Sarah Gay, an English teacher at the high school and one of the organizers of the South Portland poetry contest.

Gay, along with teachers Leah Siviski and Tom Major, librarian Deb Wray and Curtis Chapin from the Jobs for Maine Graduates program at South Portland High School, judged the poetry contest, which was held on Jan. 14.

Gay said Johnson recited the piece, “Beautiful Wreckage” by W. D. Ehrhart, and was given the top prize due to the “amazing job” he did in “building emotion and complexity into his recitation. He picked an exceptionally challenging piece, both in terms of length and content, and presented it with a great degree of authenticity and depth.”

From the Southern Regional Poetry Out Loud competition being held in Biddeford next month, five winners will be chosen to attend the statewide competition. The winner from that event will represent Maine at national finals in Washington, D.C., this spring. The winner of the national poetry contest is eligible for a $20,000 prize.

– Kate Irish Collins