Toledo Student Wins 2012 Ohio Poetry Out Loud Contest, Advances to Nationals
by Amy McKay
Ohio's seventh annual Poetry Out Loud state competition was held Saturday, March 24 in the Matesich Theatre at Ohio Dominican University. Makala White, a sophomore at Toledo Early College High School in Toledo, won the competition with her recitations of The Canonization by John Donne; Song in the Front Yard, by Gwendolyn Brooks; and Equus Caballus, by Joel Nelson. As the winner of the state finals, White received a $300 prize, her school gets $500 for the purchase of poetry books, and she will receive an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the Poetry Out Loud national finals in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2012.
More than 6,000 students from 42 schools around Ohio participated in Poetry Out Loud competitions this year. After classroom-level and then school-wide contests, 33 students competed in the final event. They performed classic and contemporary poems for a five-person panel of poetry and performance experts. Students were awarded points for accuracy, physical presence, voice and articulation, level of difficulty and other criteria.
The top three students also received cash prizes:
First runner-up Emily Schwerdtfeger, a junior from Columbus Alternative High School in Columbus, received $200 and $200 for her school library. Second runner-up, Mallory Kassoy, a junior from Bexley High School in Bexley, received $100 with $50 for her school library. Three other students received honorable mentions: Lake Wilburn, a freshman from Centennial High School in Columbus; Amber Rose, a senior from Milford High School in Milford; and Yeonwoo Jang, a senior from Upper Arlington High School in Upper Arlington.
Click here for a complete list of student participants.
A total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends will be awarded to the winners at the Poetry Out Loud national finals, including a $20,000 cash prize for the national champion. Ohio has an outstanding track record of competition at the national level. Ohio champion Jackson Hille was the first national Poetry Out Loud winner in 2006. And in 2009, Ohio champion Mido Aly was among the top five national finalists.
This year's Poetry Out Loud state competition was hosted by Ohio Arts Council board member Sharon Howard from the Dayton Development Coalition. Special guest Justine Haka from the Poetry Foundation attended the finals and joined Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Julie Henahan to pass out awards to the top six finalists. Each finalist received plaques from Passion Works Studio in Athens and an autographed copy of Names Will Never Hurt Me, a poetic novel by Ohio writer Jaime Adoff, who performed his original poetry at the state finals and authored Jimi & Me (2005), which received the 2006 CORETTA SCOTT KING/JOHN STEPTOE NEW TALENT AUTHOR AWARD.
Poetry Out Loud is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council. The Ohio Poetry Out Loud finals are presented in partnership with Thurber House and the Ohioana Library. Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.
Visit www.poetryoutloud.org for more information on this national program and the Ohio Arts Council website for more information on the Ohio program.
About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
About the National Endowment for the Arts:
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the artsboth new and establishedbringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.
About the Poetry Foundation:
The publisher of Poetry magazine, the Poetry Foundation is an independent library organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It has embarked on an ambitious plan to bring the best poetry before the largest possible audiences.
About Thurber House:
Thurber House is a nonprofit literary center for readers and writers located in the historic former home of author, humorist, and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber. The mission of Thurber House is to celebrate the written word for the education and entertainment of the broadest possible audience and to continue Thurbers legacy of humor.
About the Ohioana Library Association:
The Ohioana Library Association is dedicated to collecting, preserving and promoting the written work of Ohios writers, artists and musicians.
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