Leonardtown, MD – On Saturday, February 11th thirteen students from Montgomery, Calvert, Prince Georges, Howard, and St. Mary’s County came together to compete in the Poetry Out Loud competition at the College of Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown Campus. The three-judge panel awarded 1st Place to Natasha Mukuka of Wootton High School, Montgomery County. Katherine Cognard-Black of Leonardtown High School came in 2nd and Sydney Grossman of Centennial High School in Howard County captured 3rd place.
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 and the District of Columbia. By encouraging high school students to memorize and perform great poems, Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. This exciting program, which began in 2005, helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
Poetry Out Loud 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. 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.
All three winners of Saturday’s competition will compete in the state finals on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 1:00 pm at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Nationals will be held April 24-26, 2017 at Lisner Auditorium in Washington DC. Visit www.poetryoutloud.org for more information about this program.