Presented by:
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Huntington Theatre Company.
Poetry Out Loud brings the oral art form to high schools in all 50 states.
In March 2009, students from more than 50 schools across the state participated in the 4th annual Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. The Huntington's Department of Education facilitates the Massachusetts competition on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Semi-finals were held in Springfield, Boston, Framingham, and Yarmouth with Finals following at the historic Old South Meeting House in Boston in Marxg. The competition was a great success, and named Wilmene Hercule of Prospect Hill Academy in Cambridge State Champion.
How the competition works:
- Your school registers to participate (link below). Deadline to register your school: December 23, 2009.
- We send you the necessary materials to plan and execute your school competition.
- Every student participating chooses 3 poems.
- Each class holds a classroom contest where students recite one poem.
- One student from each class advance to the school-wide competition, where each student recites two poems.
- The school-wide winner is then invited to compete as a Semi-Finalist in one of four locations (TBD) and recites the same two poems in this competition. All Semi-Finalists should be prepare to recite their third poem if needed. Deadline to register your school's Semi-Finalists: February 12, 2010.
- 20 Semi-Finalists will move on to the State Finals and recite three poems in this competition. One student is named Massachusetts State Champion.
- The Massachusetts State Champion heads to Washington, D.C. in April 2010 to compete in the national competition.
- Cash prizes are awarded to winners and their schools.
For more information on Poetry Out Loud, check out the NEA's website at Poetryoutloud.org.
For more information please contact Donna Glick, Director of Education, at 617 273-1548 or email poetryoutloud@huntingtontheatre.bu.edu.