There was electricity in the air when students, parents, teachers and friends gathered in the Lower Lake High School library on Friday, February 11th to listen to 5 students recite classic and contemporary poems that they had chosen and memorized. Over 600 poems are listed on the www.poetryoutloud.org website and eligible for selection. 

        The annual Poetry Out Loud competition is a program initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, whose purpose is  to bring poetry back into the lives of our country's youth, by familiarizing them with the work of a  variety of famous poets whose work spans centuries. Another auspicious outcome of the competition is to foster self-confidence and public speaking skills.   

        The 2011 Lake County POL First Place Winner is Rebecca Sires, a sophomore in Robin Shrive's Honors English class. She recited two poems- To The Ladies by Lady Mary Chudeigh, and The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth, both written pre-20th century. Besides getting the opportunity to travel to Sacramento, stay at a beautiful hotel, meet other County winners from all over the state, attend a special dinner for all county winners, their families, and other invited guests,and compete in the State Senate chambers, Rebecca received a $100 check and an orchid plant, both sponsered by the Lake County Arts Council.

         Second place winner by a single point was Hallie Sullivan, a sophomore from Jeremy Stock's Honors English class. Hallie told me she was excited to be able to perform a poem that is a family favorite, Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. She also recited A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky by Lewis Carroll. She received a $75 check and a comprehensive poetry anthology.

        Third Place went to Sarah Fred from Jeremy Stock's class, who recited I Am by John Clare, and The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Sarah received a check for $50 and a rose plant, also sponsered by The Lake County Arts Council.

        The other participants were Chance Taylor from Stock's class, who recited Cartoon Physics by Nick Flynn, and Nalani Geary, from Shrive's class, who recited I Am Learning To Abandon The World by Linda Pastan. Nalani and Nick also received CPITS and POL anthologies.

        Stay tuned for the POL State Championship in Sacramento on March 20 and 21st to root for Rebecca.

 

submitted by Michele Krueger

 

California's Poetry Out Loud competition builds on the resurgence of poetry as an art form and, as seen in the slam poetry and hip-hop music movements, by inviting the dynamic aspects of the spoken word and theater into the classroom. Students, grades 9-12, have the opportunity to learn about the great poets through memorization and performance, giving them an opportunity to master public speaking, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. Instructors have the opportunity to guide the students while fulfilling their teaching requirements and adding a new dimension to the classroom. Students may also be home schooled or enrolled in an alternative teaching program, as was Rachael Weiss the winner of the 2008 Lake County competition.