MCCRACKEN COUNTY, Ky. - Samantha Isbell, a sophomore from Lone Oak High School, took second place out of the 21 high school students who competed at the recent Poetry Out Loud state finals competition.

Isbell represented McCracken County as the Lone Oak High School school champion. Heath High School sophomore Ann Wu and Reidland High School sophomore Katy Gibson also represented the district as school champions in the competition.

As second-place winner, Isbell will receive a $100 cash prize and $200 for her school to purchase library books.

Curtlyn Kramer from the Gatton Academy at Western Kentucky University won top prize at the competition and will represent Kentucky in the national finals in May. Three other finalists were Jordan Smith, Harlan County High School; Gabby Thompson, Boyd County High School; and Conor Whalen, Ballard High School, Louisville.

The Poetry Out Loud state finals are presented by the Kentucky Arts Council in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, as part of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.