FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2012

Contact: Elizabeth Lent
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy
603-942-5531
elent@coebrown.org

 

Coe- Brown Announces Poetry Out Loud School Wide Finalist

At Coe-Brown’s third annual Poetry Out Loud finals, junior Noelle Struthers became school champion, and senior Samantha Lepecier, runner-up. Finalists also competing included freshman Elizabeth MacEachern and sophomore Alexi Ramsey.  Mr. Mason, Ms. Hazen, Ms. Pagnani, Ms. Hill, Mrs. Biery, Mrs. Dana, Mr. DePalma, Mr. Gompert, Mrs. Lent, and Mrs. Mennelle volunteered to participate in the project. The competition, presented in partnership with the N.H. State Council for the Arts, 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. These finalists in the school competition were chosen from among classroom champions during early January in participating English classes and in an after school competition open to students from other English classes. 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. The larger contest uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to regional and state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, DC. At CBNA, students recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 600classic and contemporary poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including 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, including 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. Noelle Struthers will advance to one of four N.H. regional contests on March 21, 2012 at Rochester Opera House at 7 p.m. The top scoring students at the regional finals advances to the state final. Each champion at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to compete for the national championship in May 2012. The school of the state champion will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books. To learn more about the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud contest, contact the N.H. State Council on the Arts, or visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

Return to press releases