On Wednesday Kaua‘i High School students staged their competition for the national Poetry Out Loud contest. Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that began in 2005. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation partnered with
On Wednesday Kaua‘i High School students staged their competition for the national Poetry Out Loud contest.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that began in 2005. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation partnered with state arts agencies to launch a program that encourages students to explore the dynamic aspects of performance poetry.
Senior Chelsea Hill won with her recitation of “Sweetness” by Stephen Dunn.
Students spent two weeks preparing, practicing and memorizing poems. Eight students competed for the opportunity to attend the state competition on O‘ahu in February. The Hawai‘i state winner will attend nationals in Washington, D.C., where they can win a $20,000 university scholarship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state will receive $100 and their school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books. National prizes total $50,000 in scholarship awards and school stipends.
The program is not about the writing of a poem. It is primarily about the memorization and recitation of great poems. Students learn how to master public speaking and gain self-confidence by performing their chosen piece.
Other competitors from Kaua‘i High School included eleventh-grader Wesley Laru with “Romance” by Claude MacKay; eleventh-grader Christopher Flynn with “Agoraphobia” by Linda Pastan; twelfth-grader Brenna Tangona performing “Words” by Barbara Guest; twelfth-grader Kainoa Matias with “Blind Curse” by Simon Joseph Ortiz; eleventh-grader Rowan McGrath with “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost and twelfth-grader Hazel Quintinilla with “Do Not” by Stevie Smith.
Poetry Out Loud began as a pilot program in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, then was launched in high schools nationwide. In 2006/2007 more than 100,000 students participated.
