AUBURN — St. Dominic Regional High School has announced the school finalists for the National Poetry Out Loud Competition. Two finalists were selected from each class. The finalists are: freshman, Emily Albert and Darby Frost; sophomores, Patrick Lachance and Melissa Ulin; juniors, Carolyn Joseph and Jamie Poulin; and seniors, Meg Poulin and Steve Ulin.

The finalists will compete in the school finals, to be held on Jan. 11.

“All of our students worked hard through this competition,” said Principal Donald Fournier. “The judges will have their hands full deciding who will move on to the state wide competition. As always, we are very proud of our Saints.”

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with State Arts Agencies of the United States to support the expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance.

The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. Winners at the classroom level advance to the school-wide competition, then to the state competition and ultimately to the National Finals.

Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington to compete for the national championship.

The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends at the National Finals will be awarded to the winners.