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Arts Council
School champions compete in Kentucky finals of Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest
FRANKFORT, Ky. — On March 16, the Kentucky Arts Council will present the state finals for the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, which will bring the winners of each of 15 Kentucky high school competitions to vie for the state championship. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.
The state finals, which are open to the public, will be held next Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT, at the Frankfort Convention Center, 405 Mero St., Frankfort, Ky.
The winner of the state finals will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. and advance to the National Finals, April 26-27, 2010, where students will compete for $50,000 in scholarships and school prizes.
Competing students are: Carly Bolanos, Frankfort High School, Franklin County; Trina Thomas, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Fayette County; Barbara Gooding, Western Hills High School, Franklin County; Dane Mendelsohn, Ballard High School, Jefferson County; Sarah Porter, Mercer County Senior High School, Mercer County; Katie Holtman, Grant County High School, Grant County; James Rogers, Hart County High School, Hart County; Torie DiMartile, Beechwood High School, Kenton County; Sanaa Abrar, Greenwood High School, Warren County; Ryan Himes, Ohio County High School, Ohio County; Ronnie Banks, Harlan County High School, Harlan County; Miranda Tucker, Knox Central High School, Knox County; Kayla Wilson, Allen County-Scottsville High School, Allen County; Lindsey Stewart, Jenkins Independent School, Letcher County; and Jordan Forrester, Fulton Independent School, Fulton County.
Kentucky poets Frederick Smock, Bianca Spriggs and Lisa Williams will serve as judges for the Kentucky state finals, which will be emceed by educator, composer and pianist Harry Pickens.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities and military bases.
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.
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