Sophomore Emma Gousset has a lot to be proud of about her poetry.

Gousset won last year’s Poetry Slam at Tupelo High School, placed first in the 2014 Mississippi World Trade Center Writing Contest, and has won numerous GumTree Writing contests. This year, she was chosen to represent THS in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition in Oxford on Feb. 2.

“The contest was a great experience, and even though I didn’t win the competition, I gave it my best shot and made myself proud, which is just as valuable as winning,” Gousset said.

In Poetry Out Loud, contestants recite a poem from memory. At the school level, they are only required to recite one piece. At the regional level, they must recite two memorized pieces, and students who make it to state are required to recite three poems from memory.

“The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation partnered together with state art agencies to create the contest,” explained Kelly Manley, director of the THS Poetry Out Loud contest.

To help get the word out about the program, THS student teacher Rex Harsin created a video of Gousset performing George Herbert’s “The Collar,” which is the poem she recited at regionals.

“Each English teacher will have access to the video, and then next year, when we are trying to promote the contest, we’ll be able to show the video of Emma competing and, hopefully, generate more interest through that,” Manley said.

Although Gousset did not place at regionals, she plans for another go at it again next year.

“The Poetry Out Loud Contest was so big because it gives students a chance to become more knowledgeable about poetry and offers a cash prize for the winners and their schools,” she said. “Now that I’ve experienced the competition, I have a better idea of the judges are looking for, which I will definitely take into account when I enter next year.”