Syosset High School junior Iree Mann is the New York State champion in the 12th annual Poetry Out Loud (POL) competition. Mann will represent the state in the national semifinals at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on April 25, with a chance to advance to the finals. Mann outshined 24 other youngs poets in the state, reciting a wide range of poems from the official POL anthology at the state-level competition held in Syracuse. As state champ, she received $200 and an all-expenses paid trip to the national semifinals. Syosset High School will be awarded a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.
