(AAPNW-IN) – Roses are red, violets are blue, just so you know there is one outstanding Indiana high school student, who is now new and has been added to the champion ranks in the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest. Warsaw Community High’s Zack Rooker took top honors from a list of 13 finalists participating during the competition held at the Indianapolis-Marion County Central Public Library on February 26.
As the State Champion, Rooker receives a $200 cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at the National Finals in late April. Finalists for the National Championship will compete for scholarship prizes totaling $50,000, with the National Champion claiming $20,000 in scholarship funding. In addition, State Champion’s school receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. The competitors are from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Students participating in the 2011 Indiana Poetry Out Loud competition included: Indianapolis: Aaron Bubeck, Broad Ripple High School and Treh Dickerson, Lawrence North High School; Whitestown: Olivia Byely, Traders Point Christian Academy; Nashville: Elizabeth Collier, Brown County High School; Plymouth: Christina Green, Plymouth High School; Columbus: Abigail Jackson, Columbus Christian High School; Ferdinand: Marcia Jochem, Forest Park High School; Anderson: Alicia O’Neal, Anderson Preparatory Academy; Carmel: Matthew Palombi, University High School; Fort Wayne: Priya Parikh, Homestead High School; Warsaw: Zack Rooker, Warsaw Community High School; Evansville: Nicole Schapker, Signature School; and Floyds Knobs: Rachel Sieg, Floyd Central High School.