to Alanna Rivera, of Virginia. 2008 - Representing the Virgin Islands, Shawntay Henry became the 2008 National Champion; the first time the Virgin Islands participated. Ms. Henry was a 10th-grade student at the time. Her competition-winning poems included "Fredrick Douglas", by Robert Hayden. 2009 - More than 300,000 students competed in the nationwide competition in 2009. First Place went to Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia student William Farley. Second place was awarded to Barbara Gooding of Kentucky. Kareem Sayegh, representing Illinois, was awarded third place. Fourth and fifth place went to Mido Aly of Ohio, and Wiyaka His Horse Is Thunder of South Dakota. 2010 - First Place went to the representative from Rhode Island, Amber Rose Johnson. Second place was awarded to Ruth Haile, of South Dakota. Nora Sandler, representing Maryland, was awarded third place. 2011 - Youssef Biaz of Auburn High School in Auburn, Alabama captured the national title with his reading of Elizabeth Bishop's "Filling Station". The runner-up prize went to Victoria DiMartile of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, while DeVonna Daisy Smith of Reading, Pennsylvania placed third. 2012 - Kristen Dupard of Ridgeland, Mississippi was named the 2012 National Champion. Rounding out the top three were Claude Mumbere of Burlington, Vermont in second place and MarKaye Hassan of Logan, Utah in third place. 2013 - Langston Ward of Spokane, Washington won first prize with his recitation of "The Gift" by Li-Young Lee at the 2013 National Finals. In second place was Blessed Sheriff of Rockville, Maryland. The third prize went to Denise L. Burns of Lawton, Oklahoma. 2014 - Representing Tennessee, Anita Norman won first place for her performance of "Let the Light Enter" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Columbus, Ohio, and Lawrenceville, New Jersey were also honored by the second and third-place finishers, Lake Wilburn and Natasha Simone Vargas, respectively. 2015 - Reciting "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats, Maeva Ordaz of Anchorage, Alaska claimed first place. Reciting the same poem, Paris Stroud of Dallas, Georgia took home the second prize. Casey Goggin from Southern Pines, North Carolina placed third. 2016 - Ahkei Togun of Virginia Beach, Virginia won first place with his recitation of "I'm a Fool to Love You" by Cornelius Eady. Marta Palombo from Atlanta, Georgia secured second place, while Nicholas Amador of Punahou, Hawaii took third. 2017 - Samara Huggins of Mableton, Georgia was awarded first place after her reading