OHIO ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES POETRY OUT LOUD: NATIONAL RECITATION CONTEST
by Missy Ricksecker
High school students in Ohio invited to compete in national poetry recitation contest
COLUMBUS, OHIO--The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation present the 10th annual Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. In the 2014‐2015 school year, Poetry Out Loud celebrates its tenth anniversary, reaching millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide in the past decade.
Ohio high school teachers are invited to register their schools now for Poetry Out Loud. Participation is flexible, with options ranging from a single classroom competition to whole school contests. All teaching and support materials are free. Winners from each participating school will advance to the state finals to be held on Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Columbus. State champions will advance to the National Finals, to take place on April 28‐29, 2015, in Washington, DC.
Ohio students have been very successful in the national contest. 2006 Ohio Poetry Out Loud champion Jackson Hille from Columbus Alternative High School, Columbus, was the national contest's first champion, and Ohio champion Mido Aly from Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington, was a national top-five finalist in 2009. Last May, 2014 Ohio Poetry Out Loud champion Lake Wilburn from Centennial High School, Columbus, was first runner-up at the national contest. Some 365,000 students from more than 2,300 high schools took part in the 2013-2014 Poetry Out Loud program.
The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud gives students an opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self‐confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
"Ten years ago, we launched the first national Poetry Out Loud competition, and since then, nearly 2.5 million high school students have discovered the art of poetry recitation," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Together with the Poetry Foundation, state arts agencies, local arts organizations, schools, and teachers, we are thrilled to encourage the next generation of poetry ambassadors."
"To memorize and recite a great poem of the past or present," said Robert Polito, president of the Poetry Foundation, "is to 'own' it in the most personal way‐‐in your body, your breath, and your spirit. Recitation is an interpretive act that is also creative and self‐transformative. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Poetry Out Loud is now a vital aspect of the American educational landscape. It has enhanced the ways poetry is taught in schools and has created many future readers of classic and contemporary poetry. Perhaps the ultimate triumph of Poetry Out Loud is this realization of Whitman's dream of great audiences for great poets.
Additionally, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation provide state arts agencies with free, standards‐based curriculum materials for use by participating schools. These materials include an online poetry anthology containing more than 800 classic and contemporary poems, a teachers guide, lesson plans, posters, and video and audio on the art of recitation. Schools are welcome to download these resources at PoetryOutLoud.org.
How to get involved in Poetry Out Loud
High school teachers who are interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud should know that the program takes one to three weeks of classroom time, and may be incorporated with existing poetry units. High schools that wish to be part of the official Poetry Out Loud program must register with the OAC to participate. Contact Ohio's new Poetry Out Loud project coordinator Katie Swett by telephone at 614/728-4481 or by email. Online registration and additional information about Ohio Poetry Out Loud are available here.
Poetry Out Loud awards
Students who participate in the official Poetry Out Loud program may be eligible to compete in the state and National Finals in 2014‐2015. Each winner at the state level will receive $300 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. Additionally, a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is given annually at the National Finals, including a $20,000 cash prize for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.
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.
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