Five Colfax High School students will participate in Placer Arts’ Poetry Out Loud contest this evening.

Presented in partnership with the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the contest is part of a national program. Its purpose is to encourage high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.

Student performers are being are asked to select two poems from a book provided by the contest organizers.

Of the poems selected, one must be from the 20th Century and the other written before 1900, explained Colfax High School drama instructor John Deaderick. In addition, one poem must be 25 lines or less.

Deaderick said his advance drama students are enthusiastic performers. “They really love language,” he said. “They want to express themselves through language.”

Slated to perform tonight are senior Emmeline Tober, junior Greg Towle and sophomores Katie York, Arraine Siefert and Jessica Monroe.

For these advanced drama students, it’s not so much the competition as the opportunity to perform.

Tober, who has taken four years of drama at Colfax High School, loves the class because she “meets and works with so many talented people.” And feels right at home on the stage.

“The connection with the audience is amazing,” she said.

Tober is looking forward to tonight’s event.

“In a sense it doesn’t differ that much from dramatic dialogue,” she explained, adding she will be presenting one of Shakespeare’s Sonnets and a poet by Yeats.

“I love poetry,” she said. “It would be great even if it wasn’t a contest.”

The daughter of Kate Fiddyment and Eric Tober of Colfax, she hopes to pursue a career in theater.

Until he started studying drama this year, Towle thought acting would be fun.

“I thought it would be easy to get up there and talk,” he said, adding he has since realized it’s hard work to be convincing on stage.

He decided to participate in Poetry Out Loud to gain acting experience. “Winning would be cool,” he added.

Towle is the son of Russell and Gay Wiseman of Alta.

York, who could be considered the veteran perform of this group, was the only student from Colfax High to attend last year’s event.

“I thought it was very interesting,” she said, adding, “a lot of people who went last year were over-dramatic. It’s not a monologue.”

Rather, the emphasis is on the rhythm and style of the poem. “You can hear a lot of really good poems.”

York decided to participate again because “I just really like the experience.”

The daughter of Keith York and Susan Vedder, York is a second year drama student.

“I love acting,” she said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of different performing arts - dancing, cheerleading, tech, even journalism.”

Siefert is another student who feels at home on stage.

“I love performing for other people,” she said. “I just like to convey a message that otherwise might not get out there.”

Poetry Out Loud is another opportunity to get experience in the performing arts, Siefert said.

The daughter of Mark and Suzann Siefert of Meadow Vista, she would like to pursue a career in theater.

Like her classmates, Monroe wants the experience of conveying the message told through poetry.

Although she wants to become a veterinarian, Monroe is “trying different things right now.” She studied theater tech and is in advanced drama and journalism this year.

She is the daughter of Lori and the late Fred Monroe.

“What I want is for them to have a positive experience,” Deaderick said. “It helps them to grow as performers. I think they’re going to have that.”

Winner of tonight’s competition will advance to the state championships on March 13 and 14 n Sacramento.

The state champion will win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. and advance to the national finals on April 28 and 29.