The Unalaska City School held its fourth annual "Poetry Out Loud" event in December, where junior high and high school students competed to perform poetry on stage. The winner of the Unalaska competition would advance to the regional level, and from there have an opportunity to advance to the national competition in Washington D.C. with a chance to win a $20,000 scholarship. English and Language Arts teachers Amy Purevsuren and Shauna Rudio coordinated the event, and thirty students participated. 

Mrs. Purevsuren introduced the event by talking about how she believes poetry is a spoken art that is meant to be heard. "The Modern age has changed it to be in predominantly written form, but tonight we will appreciate it spoken and brought to life." Factors that competitors had to consider while reading their poems included accuracy, tone, dramatization, and emotional response of the audience.

Jess Anderson and Jaila Pili emceed the event and three student musicians played ukuleles between performances. The judges were school staff members Jeff Dickrell, Kevin Ley, and Ryan Henderson, with Mandy Anderson and Kent Russel acting as scorekeepers. Robbie Harris judged on accuracy, and Andy Nguyen was the prompter.

Competing students were judged out of 47 points on physical presence, voice & articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of complexity, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. After all of the participants had read their poems aloud on stage, the scores were tallied and winners were announced. High school freshmen Marjamae Pili took third place and Taylor Holman came in second place. The first place winner who would be advancing on to the regional competition was high school senior Vy Be.

Mrs. Purevsuren closed out the night by congratulating all of the participants for their hard work and dedication. "Tonight these performers have helped us, the audience, feel and experience the language and meaning of poetry—the 'essential breath' of culture. Thank you to every single performer for having the courage to bring these poems alive, on stage."