Dean Wray, a drama student at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, placed third in the regional competition of the English-speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition.

Wray, whose regular school is Destrehan High Schoo, received the honor after performing a monologue.

Since 1983, approximately 250,000 students from public, independent and parochial high schools have explored the beauty and scope of Shakespeare’s language through the English Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition. This year’s regional competition took place at Tulane University.