At Coe-Brown’s second annual Poetry Out Loud finals, senior Moira Geary became school champion, and sophomore Kylie Gagnon, runner-up.  Finalists also competing included senior Heather Ward, junior Kendall McGowan, sophomore Marianna Barnhart and freshman Gwyneth Horne. The school-wide finals were held on January 20, 2011, in an evening that also included three student-directed one act plays and a dance showcase. 

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 late December and 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 Coe-Brown, students recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 600 classic 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. Moira Geary will advance to one of four N.H. regional contests on March 11, 2011, at New England College, Great Room, Simon Center, at 7 p.m. The top scoring students at the regional finals advance to the state final at the State House in Concord on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Each champion at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship on April 25-27, 2011.

The school of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books. To learn more about the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud contest, contact N.H. State Council on the Arts, or visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

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