arts and education poetry out loud
2009 Poetry Out Loud State Champion
Kaleena Kovach, a 16-year-old student from William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, successfully competed for the title of Colorado State Champion of the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. Kristina Sherman from Sand Creek High School, also in Colorado Springs, was named State Runner Up.
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On March 16, students from high schools around the state participated in the fourth annual poetry contest for a chance at the Colorado state title. Represented schools were from the Denver Metro area as well as Niwot, Colorado Springs, Swink and Estes Park.
Each student recited three poems and was scored in six categories including physical presence, voice projection and articulation, overall performance, and accuracy. Participating students won the opportunity to compete at the state level after winning recitation contests at the classroom, grade, and school-wide levels.
Ms. Kovach’s winning recitations were “Somewhere to Paris” by Richard Blanco, “They are Hostile Nations” by Margaret Atwood, and “Come Up From the Fields, Father” by Walt Whitman.
When asked what poetry means to her, Ms. Kovach said, “I love poetry with all of my heart. I read and write it every chance I get and hope to major in writing in college!”
As State Champion, Ms. Kovach receives $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. next month to compete in the national finals of Poetry Out Loud. Her school receives $500 for the purchase of poetry books for the school library. The Runner Up, Ms. Sherman, will be awarded $100 and $200 for the Sand Creek High School library.
The contest is administrated by the Colorado Council on the Arts and sponsored by the national Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Lighthouse Writers Workshop, a Colorado non-profit organization, helped coordinate the program this year.
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The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest national finals will take place on April 28th at George Washington University and features a special performance by Natalie Merchant and guest judges NPR’s Scott Simon and A Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor. A quarter of a million students from each state, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico competed for a spot in this year’s national competition.
By encouraging high school students to memorize and perform great poems, Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class and helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
About Poetry Out Loud
The Colorado Council on the Arts has partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to support Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners will advance to the school-wide competition, then to the state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.
CCA will begin recruiting high schools for participation in Poetry Out Loud 2010 in the fall of 2009. Curriculum materials available include print and online poetry anthologies, a teachers’ guide to help instructors teach recitation and performance, an audio CD featuring distinguished actors and writers, promotional and media guides, and a comprehensive Website. Hard copies of all materials are free for schools participating in the official program. All curriculum materials are also available for download on the Poetry Out Loud Website, www.poetryoutloud.org. High schools who wish to participate should contact Sheila Sears, Arts Education Manager at 303-892-3852 or Sheila.Sears@state.co.us Schools not officially involved in the official contest are welcome to use the online materials.
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