San Bernardino County: Finals For Poetry Out Loud
ARTS CONNECTION ANNOUNCES POETRY OUT LOUD COUNTY FINALS
High school students in San Bernardino County compete in national poetry recitation contest
San Bernardino, CA – Arts Connection announces the San Bernardino County finals for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. 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 contest is scheduled for February 3, from 3-5pm at The Garcia Center for the Arts in the city of San Bernardino.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state competition, and ultimately to the national finals in Washington, DC. More than 310,000 students from 2,300 high schools took part in the 2016–2017 Poetry Out Loud program.
At the Garcia Center for the Arts, contestants will recite works they selected from an anthology of more than 900 classic and contemporary poems. Students participating in the Poetry Out Loud program have benefited from educational materials created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. These standards-based curriculum materials include an online anthology, a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, and video and audio on the art of recitation. Schools are welcome to download these free resources at poetryoutloud.org.
This year’s competitors are from the following schools: Big Bear High School, The Grove School, Rialto High School, and W.A. Carter High School. The contest will be judged by local poets including, Tim Hatch, Isabel Quintero, George Hammons and Romaine Washington.
Arts Connection, The Arts Council for San Bernardino County
Arts Connection is the arts council for San Bernardino County, designated by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to serve as the State and Local Partner to the California Arts Council. Arts Connection is dedicated to stimulating creative and economic vitality and enriching lives throughout the communities they serve by providing support, promotion, education, and advocacy for the arts.
Poetry Out Loud Awards
The winner of the Poetry Out Loud San Bernardino County finals and their parent or guardian, will be flown to Sacramento to participate in the state finals. The state champion will receive an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to compete in the national finals in Washington, DC, on April 24–25, 2018. The Poetry Out Loud national finals will present a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends, with a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.