Vt. 'Poetry Out Loud' champ heads to Nationals - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Vt. 'Poetry Out Loud' champ heads to Nationals

Burlington, Vermont - March 28, 2011

A Burlington High School junior is gearing up for a big national competition.

Claude Mumbere just won Vermont's 'Poetry Out Loud' competition. Students are judged on their ability to recite poetry and are ranked according to articulation, accuracy, poem knowledge and overall performance.

Mumbere won, despite not even speaking English until six years ago when his family moved to Vermont from the Republic of Congo.

"I guess I picked up English pretty fast," Mumbere told WCAX News. "They say kids have a tendency to learn English very quickly." He says it didn't take him long to fall in love with poetry.

Mumbere will compete at the national competition on April 29 in Washington, D.C. He'll be reciting "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, "I'm a Fool to Love You" by Cornelius Eady, and "The Passionate Shepherd To His Love" by Christopher Marlowe.

He treated Channel 3 viewers to a performance Monday morning.

WCAX News

  • Local News

  • Saturday, May 25 2013 8:16 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:16:13 GMT
    A burglary at the Dorset Union Store. Police say the Church Street business, in Dorset, was broken into sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. At this time, we do not know what was stolen.
    Police search for a suspect that left his blood at the crime scene.
  • Saturday, May 25 2013 8:13 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:13:06 GMT
    Governor Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to be vigilant as the rain continues to come down. Especially, he says, with the possibility of wet snow that could bring down trees and damage property. Shumlin
    Governor Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to stay safe as the rain continues to come down.
  • Saturday, May 25 2013 8:09 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:09:12 GMT
    First responders scrambled to drain a private dam Saturday afternoon to avert major damage. Officials say the dam on Poker Hill road in Underhill nearly burst Saturday afternoon. Members of the local
    First responders scrambled to drain a private dam Saturday afternoon to avert major damage.
  • Saturday, May 25 2013 7:58 PM EDT2013-05-25 23:58:16 GMT
    Rain-battered state roads in the hardest hit areas of Underhill and Jericho are re-open to traffic, but that doesn't mean the work is done for crews. "It's been a very challenging two-day event here so
    As the rain continues to pour down, response crews are not getting a break.
  • Saturday, May 25 2013 7:51 PM EDT2013-05-25 23:51:37 GMT
    Driving along Route 15, you may notice some roads have reopened as crews guide drivers cautiously around the cracked gravel. But driving down roads like North Underhill Station, you won't get very far. Conner
    While needed repairs are being made, more work is ahead.
  • Friday, May 24 2013 11:30 PM EDT2013-05-25 03:30:10 GMT
    A hole in the road closed one of the routes into Canada Friday.State Police say Route 5 in Derby Line is closed near Caswell Avenue because of a hole in the pavement just a couple of feet over the line
    A hole in the road closed one of the routes into Canada Friday.
  • Friday, May 24 2013 7:17 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:17:06 GMT
    It was a storm that left residents with more damage than they could have ever imagined. "The basement has about 13 inches of water," said Bob Genter of Underhill. And preparing for the aftermath of the
    Flash floods left destruction across the region. And the rain is not over. Heavy downpours left some people trapped in their neighborhoods as emergency crews work to try to clear the roads.
  • Friday, May 24 2013 7:54 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:54:18 GMT
    Vermont State Police say the following roads have been closed due to flooding:UNDERHILL: VERMONT ROUTE 15, CILLEYHILL POKER HILL ROAD NORTH UNDERHILL STATION ROAD PAIGE ROAD DAUDLIN ROAD   BROWNS TRACE,
    Roads closed due to flash floods.
Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WCAX. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.