(AAPNW-IN) – Beginning at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 26, the sixth annual Poetry Out Loud Indiana State Finals goes on ‘ear’ at the Clowes Auditorium of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, located at 40 East St. Clair Street. Thirteen Indiana high schools participating are:
Nashville: Brown County; Anderson: Anderson Preparatory Academy; Evansville: Signature School; Fort Wayne: Homestead High; Whitestown: Traders Point Christian Academy; Plymouth: Plymouth High; Carmel: University High; Columbus: Columbus Christian High; Floyd Knobs: Floyd Central High; Warsaw: Warsaw Community High; Ferdinand: Forest Park High; and Indianapolis: Lawrence North High and Broad Ripple High.
The state champion receives a $200 cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., who will represent as well as compete in the 2010-11 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in April. The state champion’s school also receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books.
The annual poetry recitation contest is nationwide and sponsored by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation. A total of $50,000 in scholarship awards and school stipends will be awarded at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship awarded to the national champion. The competition is designed to encourage youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, and help students master public speaking skills, build self-esteem, and internalize an appreciation for American literary heritage.
Indiana’s Elise Lockwood from University High School, Carmel, was the 2009/2010 Indiana State Champion.