Warsaw Community High School announces the winners of the school contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.The student winners are first place, Audrey Rich; second place, Vanessa Malagon; and third place, Luca Cone.

Audrey’s winning poem was Revenge by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. Vanessa recited The End of Science Fiction by Lisel Mueller, and Lucas presented Beautiful Wreckage by W.D. Ehrhart.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission, 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. On Thursday, Jan. 24, nearly 70 students from Warsaw Community High School participated in the Poetry Out Loud school contest in the WCHS Performing Arts Center.

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. Nearly 300,000 students across the country took part in Poetry Out Loud in 2011-2012.

WCHS students recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 600 classic and contemporary poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including the following categories: articulation, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, and accuracy. Teachers introduced poetry recitation in the classroom using materials created by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation. Materials included a standards-based teacher’s guide, a website, a ‘best performances’ DVD, and a CD featuring poetry recitations by well-known actors and writers such as Anthony Hopkins and Rita Dove.

The WCHS winner will advance to the state contest on Feb. 23, in the Indianapolis Central Public Library. Each champion at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship, April 26-27. The school of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

To learn more about the Indiana Poetry Out Loud contest, contact Susan Britsch, Community Development Manager & Arts Education Coordinator, Indiana Arts Commission, [email protected] or visit www.poetryoutloud.org.