(Editor’s note: Bobcat Spotlight is a recurring feature spotlighting Marshalltown High School students who are involved in activities other than tradition
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Mar 15, 2021
DES MOINES – Elijah Thiessen of Marshalltown High School took first place in the 2021 Poetry Out Loud in Iowa state finals Sunday, earning a chance to compete for a national championship and a share of $50,000 in scholarships and school prize money.
Thiessen won this year’s state competition with recitations of “Beautiful Wreckage” by W.D. Ehrhart, “Rondeau” by Leigh Hunt and “There Are Birds Here” by Jamaal May. Benjamin Siegel of Gilbert High School took second and Olivia Adams-Zmolek of Marshalltown High School finished third.
With the victory, Thiessen received a $200 cash prize and $500 for his school to purchase poetry books. In May, he will compete virtually against students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Somoa for the national championship. Cash prizes and stipends are provided by the Poetry Foundation.