Tyrone teen pursues passion for poetry
Grugan, 17, took 4th place in state competition
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An "avid reader" with a knack for public speaking and memorization took fourth place honors in the state finals of the 2021 Poetry Out Loud competition.
Mario Grugan, a junior at Tyrone Area High School, competed against 1,000 student participants from 75 schools across the commonwealth during this year's event, held virtually last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Poetry Out Loud competitions, students select poems from the organization's official anthology and recite them from memory to a panel of judges.
To get to the state competition, Mario and three teammates from the Tyrone Area High School Speech Team participated in the school's first ever local Poetry Out Loud event in January. Mario won that contest and advanced to regionals, which he also won. That win put him on track for the state finals.
A spectator at last year's state finals, Mario said the experience motivated him to compete.
"Their performances were very good, but I thought to myself 'I think I could get in the top five, too,' and I did."
For Mario, 17, it's not so much about the poetry itself.
He finds more meaning in orating, which he described as an art of its own.
"The idea of orating is to convey the emotions of the writer," he said. "It is my job, then, to interpret what the writer meant. I am not largely impacted by poetry. I agree with Socrates when he called poets 'unwise observers.'
"I am motivated by my abilities as a speaker and not a poet. Whenever I stand in front of a crowd, I am someone else. It's what I imagine Shakespeare felt as he performed in the Globe Theatre. It's the energy lended to you by the audience, like a battery being charged by an outlet. I suppose that's how all of living should be -- 'All the world's a stage.'"
Leah Deskevich, a former Tyrone Area High School English teacher and Mario's Speech Team coach, has known the junior for almost three years, although she's never been his teacher in the classroom. But since Mario joined the team last year, she has gotten to know him better and had seen his passion.
"Mario is an avid reader and learner with a knack for public speaking and memorizing," Deskevich said. "His willingness to hone his skills via Poetry Out Loud paid off with a finish we can all be proud of."
Deskevich said Mario's recent fourth-place finish left an impression on his peers, too, setting the standard and getting the team excited for the future.
"Mario has helped raise the bar for TAHS Speech Team and the Central Pennsylvania Speech League, of which Tyrone Area, Juniata Valley and Williamsburg are a part," she said. "We look forward to future competitions."
Mario said the experience of competition was remarkable and motivated him for future opportunities. It was one that reminded him of a quote from one of his favorite books.
"There's a book called 'Defending Jacob,'" he said. "There is a quote in the book that can be summarized as follows: There are only a handful of days that we actually remember in life and our life then becomes an attempt to recreate those days. This was one of those days I will remember and will always attempt to recreate."
Mario is currently competing in districts for the Rotary Speech Competition and plans to search for other opportunities.
"Wherever I can find a competition for writing or poetry, I will compete."
The son of Pamela Grugan, Mario said he's been interested in orating since at least ninth grade, and is interested in philosophy, sociology and law.
With English and world cultures as his favorite classes, Mario said he is unsure what his future holds beyond competitions.
"I have no idea what I want to be or where I want to go for college," he said. "All I know is, I want to dual major in psychology and philosophy."