Students makes judges laugh, cry

The annual Socorro County Declamation contest took place at the Loma Theater on Tuesday.

“We had 20 performers, and the competition was amazing. They had the judges and audience laughing and crying. This competition is yearly and it’s never too early to start practicing. I hope to see more competitors next year,” Janice Jaramillo, event coordinator, said.

The four divisions included humorous poetry, humorous prose, serious poetry and serious prose. Depending on their grade, students are required to meet a line and time minimum for their presentation. The length and time increase with the grade level.

The judges for the declamation contest use a rubric that scores participants based on three traits: Speaking clearly and presenting confidently, creativity and uniqueness, and the choice of material.

Jaramillo said she was thankful to the owners of Loma Theater, Brian and Melissa Hurtgen, along with judges Moises Castillo, Jenny Castro, Jesse Montoya and Denise Contreras.

Declamation contest winners

Humorous Poetry
Place School Grade Name Selection
1 CVCS 3rd Tara Bhatnagar “Please Don’t Prank Your Parents”
2 CVCS K Israel Ocampo “Snowball”
3 Mag 2 Brinlee Kern “Sick”

Humorous Prose
Place School Grade Name Selection
1 Mag 4 Iceis Moore “The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet”
2 Mag 4 Rocky Pettis “Moosetache”
3 Mag 4 Madison Chavez-Lopez “Herman the Worm”

Serious Poetry
Place School Grade Name Selection
1 Mag 5 Leonard Saiz “It Couldn’t Be Done”
2 CVCS 4 Dru Cadol “Stars”
3 Mag 2 Elsie Otero “Excerpt from Harry Potter”

Serious Prose
Place School Grade Name Selection
1 PV 4th Julee Sullivan “Love You Forever”
2 Mag 3rd Trey Cason “Try That in a Small Town”
3 PV 3rd Stormi Nuanez “This is How You Are”