West Norfolk student keeps his head in poetry competition

A King’s Lynn student made it through to the finals of a prestigious national poetry reading competition, thanks to his performance of a Rudyard Kipling classic.

Reciting the poem If, saw Mackenzie Whitehouse-Baker, a pupil at Springwood High School,  make it to the finals of Poetry by Heart which were held at London’s Globe Theatre.

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The 17-year-old chose both Kipling’s If and the poem Originally, by Carol Ann Duffy to learn by heart, and he was recorded reciting the poems by staff at Springwood, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

He won the county final of the competition, and went on to recite If at the national final on June 26, supported by English teacher Marina Morris, who promoted the competition at Springwood.

Entrants chose from a selection of poetry, and picked two poems to memorise and perform solo, using their natural speaking voices and their own interpretations of the poets' words. Recordings were then sent to a judging panel.

Springwood’s Deputy Headteacher, Jamie Warner-Lynn, said: “Mackenzie said he chose the poem If because of its message. Although it is over 100-years-old, Kipling’s message is one that should resonate with the young people of today.”

“We are incredibly proud of Mackenzie,” he continued. “He is a home-grown Springwood student and one who has been marked out for greatness since Year 7!
“This is just the beginning for Mackenzie.”

Poetry by Heart was co-founded in 2013 by former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion and educator Dr Julie Blake. ​