LEWISTON — Hana Hassan, a junior, won the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition held in the multi-purpose room of Lewiston High School on Jan. 8.

She competed against four other finalists from the individual classroom contests held in the weeks leading up to the event. The other finalists were Marina Affo, grade 12, champion of Mrs. Becker’s classes; Soumeya Ali, grade 9, champion of Mrs. Guy’s classes; Sarah Lopez, grade 11, champion of Mr. Siragusa’s classes; and Courtney Petrakis, grade 9, champion of Mrs. Morin’s classes. Hana was champion of Mrs. Allard’s classes.

Judges were Beth Bradley, Bre Allard, Robbi Starnegg, Keith Levesque, Shawn White and Karen Choate. Hana’s winning perfomance was composed of two recitations: “The Arrow and the Song,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and “Alone,” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Hana will go on to the regional competition at the McArthur Public Library in Biddeford on Friday, Feb. 25, at 5 p.m.

Poetry Out Loud encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.