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(BOSTON) – In a first-ever virtual contest, Norwell High School senior Rose Hansen was named the 2021 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Hansen was also previously the 2019 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion and a top-9 National Finalist.
Hansen bested 11 other finalists to earn the top honor. Placing second was Cameron Smith, a senior from Meridian Academy in Jamaica Plain, Boston, followed by Elton Muchugi, the inaugural Individual Cohort Winner who is a senior at Leominster High School.
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national recitation contest for high school students that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage. The Huntington Theatre Company’s Department of Education has facilitated the Massachusetts chapter of this national recitation contest in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council since its inception 16 years ago and has ranked nationally in participation statistics for ten years in a row. The program is facilitated nationally by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. POL is in all 50 states, DC, the US Virgin Islands, America Samoa, and Guam.
In a typical year, after high schools hold their own contests, the Huntington hosts 5 regional semi-final contests in Boston, Cape Cod, Hopkinton, Newburyport, and Springfield, and then a state final at the Old Meeting House in Boston, but the contest was entirely virtual this year due to the pandemic. The NEA and Poetry Foundation introduced two new ways for students to participate this year: in this pilot year, any cultural organization was invited to participate and run their own POL program, and individual students were able to participate if their school was not going to register. POL Massachusetts welcomed a program at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and five students in our Individual Cohort.
“Poetry Out Loud is an inspiring program,” says Michael J. Bobbitt, Mass Cultural Council Executive Director. “It provides a remarkable opportunity for the young people in our Commonwealth to express their talents and creativity, while celebrating the power and diversity of the spoken word. This year’s contest was unlike any other, and we thank our partner the Huntington Theatre Company for navigating the logistics and bringing Poetry Out Loud into the lives of so many young people.”
"Poetry Out Loud was especially moving this year,” says Meg O’Brien, Huntington’s Director of Education, “in the ways our contestants worked with their respective teachers and POL Coordinators to digitally record their recitations, submit those recitations to us earlier than ever before, and make the most of this year's virtual program. I congratulate all of the students who participated this year and am deeply proud of the entire Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts community of contestants, teachers, coordinators, families, judges, and staff.”
7,229 students, 215 teachers, 40 schools, and 1 cultural organization participated in Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts in 2021 (full list of schools is below). The 12 finalists were the top scoring contestants from 3 regional semi-final contests shared virtually on March 6, 7, and 8. The digital program is available at huntingtontheatre.org/pol.
As 2021 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion, Rose Hansen will now compete for the National Championship. The Nationals will also be virtual with Regional Semi-Finals shared digitally on May 2 and the National Finals shared on May 27, 2021. All national level events will be streamed at the National Endowment for the Arts website arts.gov.
2021 POETRY OUT LOUD MASSACHUSETTS STATE FINALISTS
The judges for the Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Finals were poet and educator Jamele Adams, poet and co-founder of Mass Poetry Michael Ansara, and Cookie Gamble, multi-hyphenate artist and teen director at the Huntington Avenue YMCA. Huntington Trustee and Education Committee member Betsy Epstein was the accuracy judge.
2021 POETRY OUT LOUD MASSACHUSETTS PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Algonquin Regional High School, NorthboroughBarnstable High School, BarnstableBoston Latin School, BostonBurlington High School, BurlingtonCodman Academy Charter Public School, DorchesterCommonwealth School, BostonDana Hall School, WellesleyDartmouth High School, DartmouthDennis-Yarmouth High School, YarmouthDracut High School, DracutFoxborough Regional Charter School , FoxboroughFranklin High School, FranklinGreenfield Commonwealth Virtual School, GreenfieldGroton-Dunstable Regional High School, GrotonHopkinton Center for the Arts, HopkintonHull High School, HullInnovation Academy Charter School, TyngsboroughJohn D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, RoxburyLongmeadow High School, LongmeadowMasconomet Regional High School, BoxfordMelrose High School, MelroseMeridian Academy, Jamaica PlainMethuen High School, MethuenMontrose School, MedfieldMystic Valley Regional Charter School, MaldenNewburyport High School, NewburyportNorth High School, WorcesterNorwell High School, NorwellPelham Academy, LexingtonPlymouth North High School, PlymouthPlymouth South High School, PlymouthRandolph High School, RandolphRockland High School, RocklandSalem High School, SalemSouth Hadley High School, South HadleySouth Shore Charter Public School, NorwellSt. Sebastian's School, NeedhamSwampscott High School, SwampscottWestfield High School, WestfieldWorcester Technical High School, Worcester
ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national recitation contest run by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Since its inception, POL has inspired more than 4 million high school students from more than 16,000 schools across the country to discover and appreciate both classic and contemporary poetry. The NEA and Poetry Foundation partner with state arts agencies in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, America Samoa, and Guam to support POL. Poetry Out Loud is a free program, and all contests are free and open to the public.
Learn more about Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts at huntingtontheatre.org/pol.
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY
The Huntington Theatre Company is Boston’s leading professional theatre and one of the region’s premier cultural assets since its founding in 1982. Recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Huntington brings together superb local and national talent to produce a mix of groundbreaking new works and classics made current, and create award-winning productions. Committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, the Huntington provides life-changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, and serves the local arts community through its operation of the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. The Huntington is currently conducting a major renovation of the historic Huntington Theatre, a storied venue with a bold vision for the future, which will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. Under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso, the Huntington cultivates, celebrates, and champions theatre as an art form. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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