Young performers entertained City Council last night as they performed poetry that they've been working on. 

"Evidently this goes all across Canada and it's the Mayor's Challenge," explained Nancy Samoluk, a board member with the Estevan Public Library. "They are supposed to have poetry at their council meeting during the month of April."

"When they were given this challenge, they approached the Estevan Public Library to see if we could find some students who would be willing to do their poetry."

"It's very good that they usually have this after the Estevan Music Festival because then the students are preparing for the Music Festival. I tend to go to as many of the speech arts as I can and listen to them. I'll jot notes down on my brochure and then I also phone Anita Kuntz who is the chairperson of the Estevan Music Festival. Between her and me, we get suggestions of who would be a good candidate to come to City Hall."

She added that at the Music Festival, they are adjudicated and given advice on how to improve their pieces. 

"For the children, it's good in many ways because it teaches them a discipline of sticking with something until it's perfected. It's not just said once, they have to practise and practise and practise. And at school, they give up some of their recess or afterschool or lunchtime, they give up some of that where they could be outside playing so that's another discipline that they learn."

"Anytime children can speak in front of other people, that's a really good learning experience."