Arizona High School Student to Compete in National Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest
PHOENIX, AZ (March 17, 2010) - Elizabeth Andronic, a sophomore at Centennial High School in Peoria, was selected as the winner of the fifth annual Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Finals, a program of the Arizona Commission on the Arts in partnership with the Young Writers Program at Arizona State University. The competition, held on March 5, 2010, recognizes one high school competitor to represent Arizona in the National Poetry Out Loud competition, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, in Washington D.C., April 25-27, 2010.
The Arizona Poetry Out Loud winner, Elizabeth Andronic, receives a $200 cash award and an all-expenses-paid trip to the national finals, where she will compete for a $20,000 college scholarship. Andronic’s school also receives $500 to purchase poetry books for its library. Runner-up in the Arizona State competition, Kate Nienhauser, a senior at BASIS Scottsdale High School in Scottsdale, receives $100, and her high school receives $200 towards the purchase of poetry books for the school’s library.
Participating students compete at the classroom and school level. Each participating school identifies one student to compete in the statewide competition. The 2010 Arizona finals hosted students representing 23 schools from communities across the state. Eight students, including Andronic and Nienhauser, were recognized as finalists in the state competition:
Allegra Breedlove, University High School, Tucson
Kathleen Cannon, Tucson High Magnet School, Tucson
Gabriel Vazquez, La Joya Community High School, Avondale
Stefanie McNerney, St Gregory College Prep School, Tucson
Arcelia Isais, Tolleson Union High School, Tolleson
Emaleigh Walter, Tri-City College Preparatory High School, Prescott
Arizona Commission on the Arts’ Executive Director Robert C. Booker said of the program, “This year nearly 11,000 students participated in the statewide competition. That is more than twice as many as participated in last year’s competition. This level of participation demonstrates the positive effect the arts have on the education of our young people. Every participating student developed their abilities to read and interpret, memorize works of literature and speak to large groups of people. The skills the arts provide to our children will serve them throughout their lives.”
Judges for the Arizona Poetry Out Loud semifinal and final competition included: Niki Herd, poet and 2009 Arizona Artist Project Grant recipient; Hannah Leister, theatre student at Arizona State University and viewer services assistant for KAET 8; Fernando Pérez, MFA candidate in Creative Writing at Arizona State University; Henry Oso Quintero, doctoral candidate in Native American Literature and Peyote Music at Arizona State University; Rae Paris, author and recipient of a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship; Jose Quintero, teacher, actor, and drama in education specialist; Alberto Ríos, celebrated Arizona poet, Regents’ Professor and the Katherine C. Turner Chair in English at Arizona State University; and Eva Valencia, poet.
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. For further information regarding Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.
About the Young Writers Program at Arizona State University
Arizona State University’s Young Writers Program (YWP) provides the k-12 community with arts-based, standard-aligned creative writing opportunities through mutually beneficial partnerships. The Young Writers Program utilizes a variety of arts-based strategies designed to create early positive arts experience that increase chances for student achievement.
About the Arizona Commission on the Arts
One of 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies across the United States, the Arizona Commission on the Arts is an agency of the State of Arizona that supports a statewide arts network. The Arizona Commission on the Arts supports access to quality arts and arts education opportunities for all Arizona citizens; the development and retention of statewide jobs in the nonprofit arts, culture and education sectors; and increased economic impact in local communities through arts-based partnerships that develop tax and small business revenue.
We imagine an Arizona where everyone can participate in and experience the arts.
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Images available upon request.
