A long standing tradition continues as Fayette’s high school foreign language students dominate the Clemson University Poetry Declamation Contest. 
Students from all five high schools secured over 40 percent of the placements at the 2019 competition, including 25 first place, 25 second place, and 18 third place awards. They also had three sweeps, earning all placements in two categories of German and one category of Spanish.
Clemson University’s Department of Foreign Languages poetry declamation contest gives students the opportunity to perform poetry in their language of study and receive feedback from leading language educators. Participants perform two poems from memory, specified according to students’ level of language study. They are evaluated based on pronunciation, interpretation of text, smoothness of delivery, and textural accuracy.
The competition draws students from throughout Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The 2019 Clemson Poetry Declamation Contest placements are as follows:
French 1A-1
Ella Spears, first place, Whitewater High
French 1A-2
Carolina Stover, second place, Whitewater High
Laila Adair, third place, Whitewater High
French 2A-1
Anahis Orozco, first place, Fayette County High
French 2A-2
Noah Ellis, first place, Starr’s Mill High
French 2A-3
Caleb-Wesley Nana, second place, Fayette County High
Mollie Moody, third place, Whitewater High
French 3A-2
Pamia Sanders, third place, Whitewater High
French 4-A
Rommy Sierra, second place, Starr’s Mill High
Mario Garcia Obrero, third place, Starr’s Mill High
French-Native
Marie-Paule Aguegue, second place, McIntosh High
German 1A-1
Onoyeme Egure, first place, Fayette County High
German 1-A-2
Darren Hawkins, third place, Fayette County High
German 2A-1
Elizabeth Jackson, first place, Starr’s Mill High
Janae Walker, second place, Sandy Creek High
William VanHuffel, third place, Starr’s Mill High
German 2A-2
Lucas Nyman, second place, Starr’s Mill High
Ivan-Anthony Destin, third place, Starr’s Mill High
German 4-A
Emily Hawkins, first place, Starr’s Mill High
Aracely Perez, second place, Sandy Creek High
German-Native
Katarina Thompson, first place, McIntosh High
Latin 2A-1
Audrey Boston, second place, McIntosh High
Spanish 1A-1
Kennedi Malone, first place, McIntosh High
Kayla Rivers, second place, Whitewater High
Spanish 1A-2
Catherine Ling, second place, Whitewater High
Spanish 1A-3
Cassidy Scoggins, second place, Fayette County High
Lorelai Self, third place, Whitewater High
Spanish 1A-4
Emerald Broughton, first place, Sandy Creek High
Parker Hill, third place, Starr’s Mill High
Spanish 1A-5
Minegeun Shin, first place, McIntosh High
Spanish 1A-6
Abigail Newton, first place, McIntosh High
Matthew D’Morais, second place, McIntosh High
Spanish 2A-1
Layla Williams, second place, Whitewater High
Spanish 2A-2
Arshi Noorani, first place, Fayette County High
Tobie Makinde, third place, McIntosh High
