14 March St. Francis DeSales Senior Pius Edzie Wins Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Championship March 14, 2022 Poetry Out Loud, Public central ohio, columbus, pius edzie, poetry, poetry out loud, st. francis desales, state finals 0 Poetry has always been a part of Pius Edzie’s life, even if he didn’t realize it at the time. “The funny thing is, I was into poetry before I began to write or perform it, and I didn't know that,” said Edzie, a senior at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus. “The music I listen to, like 2Pac and Biggie—you know, ‘90s hip hop—is really poetic. So, it wasn’t until recently that I was like, ‘This is really good poetry!’” After a poetry unit in English class his junior year, Edzie was approached by his teacher, Shannon Huelskamp, to consider taking part in Poetry Out Loud (POL), a nationwide poetry competition that encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. Edzie entered his school competition and later became the Central Ohio regional champion. Then, on March 4 at WOSU Public Media’s studios, he was awarded the title of 2022 Ohio POL state champion. Six students competed at the Ohio POL State Finals this year, presented live for a limited in-person audience of students’ families and teachers. Cameron Goehring, a junior at Mt. Healthy High School in Cincinnati, placed second at the state finals. Madeline Arizona Hamm, a senior at Logan High School, placed third. Edzie will go on to represent Ohio at the POL National Semifinals, which will be held virtually on May 1. The top-ranked semifinalists will then progress to the POL National Finals, which will also be held virtually, on June 5. Edzie said he was encouraged to enter the Poetry Out Loud competition after completing a poetry unit as a junior at DeSales. Experience performing in the school play and practicing his poems for his peers also helped him gain confidence.