Poetry Out Loud at East Leyden
This past December, about 350 East Leyden students performed poetry recitations that included works such as "Epilogue", by Robert Browning and "The Song of the Feet", by Nikki Giovanni. Out of that group, 23 students were selected to compete in round one of the Poetry Out Loud competition. From that competition, ten students were chosen by a panel of judges to advance to the second round of competition to be held on Thursday, February 2 at the school. The ten finalists will recite two poems each, and one winner will advance to the regional competition to be held later in February.
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the national finals.
"Poetry Out Loud shows students that poetry is very much still alive, necessary and fun," says Amy Stolarsky, East Leyden English teacher and one of the event organizers. "The work required to memorize and recite a poem improves close-reading skills and provides students with an experience in dedication and risk."
In addition, Stolarsky says the program encourages students to learn about great poetry, helps master public speaking skills, builds self-confidence, and teaches participants about literary history and contemporary life.
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for his or her school. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually at the national finals.
Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, Washington, DC, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 3 million students and 50,000 teachers from 10,000 schools.