Shaker Heights Student Wins State Poetry Out Loud Competition
OAC Director Julie Henahan, OAC Chair Jakki Nance, 2011 state champion Caira Lee and First Lady Karen Kasich after Ohio's 2011 Poetry Out Loud Recitation Competition
After classroom-level and then school-wide contests, 39 students competed in Ohio's sixth annual Poetry Out Loud state competition held Saturday, March 12, 2011, at Ohio Dominican University's Matesich Theatre. When it was over, Northeast Ohio had its first state champion—Caira Lee, a junior at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights. She will compete in the Poetry Out Loud national finals in Washington, D.C., on April 29.
Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. It is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council.
More than 8,000 students from 50 schools around Ohio participated in the program this year.
Students perform classic and contemporary poems for a panel of poetry and performance experts. They are awarded points for accuracy, physical presence, voice and articulation, level of difficulty and other criteria. Competing can help them master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. All 39 students recited in each of the first two rounds with David Weaver of Ohioana Library and Pat Shannon of Thurber House presiding as masters of ceremonies. The six students with the highest scores recited in the final round.
Lynsay Strahorn of Chaminade Julienne in Dayton (the runner up) and Kevin O'Donnell from Kettering Fairmont (the second runner up) pose with state champion Caira Lee.
Dionne Custer, an arts educator from the Wexner Center for the Arts, served as master of ceremonies for the final round, and First Lady Karen Kasich, who attended with her twin daughters, Reese and Emma, shared some brief remarks. Mrs. Kasich recognized the importance of arts education and the value of poetry in helping us "to understand our thoughts and our history." After an exciting final round, the First Lady joined Ohio Arts Council Board Chair Jakki Nance and Executive Director Julie Henahan in passing out awards to the top six finalists.
Each finalist received a plaque from Passion Works Studio in Athens and an autographed book of poems by Terry Hermsen, the 2009 Ohio Poet of the Year. Hermsen recited some of his poems for the students between rounds.
As winner of the state finals, Lee received a $300 prize, and her school received $500 for the purchase of poetry books. She also will receive an all- expense-paid trip (with a chaperone) to the national finals. Runner-up Lynsay Strahorn, a senior from Chaminade Julienne High School in Dayton and last year's state champion, received $200, with $200 for her school library, and the second runner-up, Kevin O'Donnell, a junior from Kettering Fairmont High School in Kettering, received $100 with $50 for his school library. Three other students received honorable mentions: Kaitlin Kinney, a senior from Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek; Mallory Kassoy, a sophomore from Bexley High School in Bexley; and Jordan Martin, a senior from The Arts and College Preparatory Academy in Columbus.
This year's judges were Steve Abbott, Jeremy Glazier, Nancy Kangas, Rose Smith and Ann Townsend.
A total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends will be awarded to the winners at the Poetry Out Loud national finals, including a $20,000 cash prize for the national champion. Ohio has an outstanding track record of competition at the national level. Ohio champion Jackson Hille was the first national Poetry Out Loud winner in 2006. And in 2009, Ohio champion Mido Aly was among the top five national finalists.
Ohio's 39 Poetry Out Loud 2011 participants with the judges
This article was published in April 2011
