POETRY OUT LOUD ILLINOIS STATE CHAMPION ANNOUNCED!
From a competitive field of nearly 6,000 students from across the state, Carolyn Muller, a senior from Champaign Central High School in Champaign, received the title of 2012 Poetry Out Loud Illinois State Champion at the statewide competition hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council in Springfield, on Thursday, March 29, 2012. Muller recited “Infelix” by Adah Isaacs Menken, “Dirge Without Music” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and “Ovation” by Carol Muske-Dukes. Springfield Southeast High School junior Charday Crawford won first runner-up, reciting “a song in the front yard” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, and “Conversation” for Robert Lowell by Ai. Ms. Muller will advance to the national competition to be held in Washington, D.C., in mid-May.
The Illinois State Champion Carolyn Muller received an award of $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship. Ms. Muller’s school received a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. First runner-up Charday Crawford received $100, with $200 for her school library.
Other contestants in the Illinois State Contest were:
Sam Chao, Niles West High School (Skokie); Amanda Clark, Auburn High School (Rockford); Kenneth DuMez, Northside College Preparatory High School (Chicago); Michelle Gonzalez, Maine East High School (Park Ridge); Brianna Gray, United Township High School (East Moline); Kaniah Jackson, Mather High School (Chicago); Arianna Keleher, Orion High School (Orion); David Kessler, Centennial High School (Champaign); Megan Kessler, Clay City High School (Clay City); Xavier Kimbrough, Auburn High School (Rockford); Carly Piland, Springfield High School (Springfield); Zachary Rimkus, Edwardsville High School (Edwardsville); Maggie Scudder, Carbondale Community High School (Carbondale); Ryan Serfas, Edwardsville High School (Edwardsville).
Contest staff for the 2012 Illinois State Contest included recitation judges Ryan Collins (Rock Island), poet and teacher; Linda Gorham (Aurora), storyteller; Judy Jordan (Anna), poet; and Kevin Purcell (Petersburg), actor and director. Thea Chesley (Springfield), librarian and poet, was the accuracy judge, and Aasne Vigesaa (Springfield) was the prompter. Maureen Williams (Chatham) served as scorekeeper. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, physical presence, evidence of understanding, dramatic appropriateness, level of difficulty, and accuracy.
More about Poetry Out Loud
Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class.
After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, the second phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools across America in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. In 2006-2007, over 100,000 students competed. The program continued to grow during subsequent school years.
Contest Structure and Awards
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners advance from school-wide competitions to the regional competition (the Eastern Illinois regional contest is coordinated by 40 North | 88 West), then to the state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.
Winners at the state level receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip, with adult chaperone, to Washington to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends is awarded to the winners at the National Finals.
Program Materials and Schedule
Poetry Out Loud curriculum materials include print and online poetry anthologies, a teacher’s guide to help instructors teach recitation, an audio CD featuring distinguished actors and writers, a DVD of National Finals performances, promotional and media guides, and a comprehensive Website. Hard copies of all materials are free for teachers participating in the official program. All curriculum materials are also available for free download on the Poetry Out Loud Website. Schools not involved in the official contest are welcome to use the online materials.
40 North | 88 West
As Champaign County’s Arts Council, 40 North is committed to cultivating creativity in Champaign County. Through advocacy, information and collaboration, 40 North supports and promotes the important role that arts, culture and education hold in making the community a great place to live, work, learn and play. For more information, visit www.40north.org.
For more on Poetry Out Loud, contact:
Kelly White, Executive Director
40 North | 88 West
Champaign County Arts Council
106 S. Neil St.
Champaign, IL 61820
kwhite@40north.org
ph. 217.351.9841
fx. 217.398.3037
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/about
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems/browsepoems.html
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/guide/ (teachers guide)