HARDWICK – Will Helms, an 11th-grade student at Hazen Union School, has been announced as the school winner of the Poetry Out Loud competition held on December 23.
courtesy photo
Helms will advance to the regional Poetry Out Loud contest, coordinated by the Vermont Arts Council and the Flynn, February 12 at the Barre Opera House.
“I actually didn’t write the poems, but it was a wonderful exercise to try and bring these very old poems to life in my own way,” said Helms.
“Memorizing a work brings on a very unique kind of connection.”
Poetry Out Loud, presented in partnership with Flynn Theater Poetry Out Loud and the National Endowment for the Arts, is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country.
Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.3 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.
Over 20 Hazen Union students from Public Speaking and World Literature classes participated in the school-wide contest.
The students recited works selected from a large anthology. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy.
The National Endowment for the Arts has created free, standards-based curriculum materials to support Poetry Out Loud including a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, an online anthology, posters, and video and audio on the art of recitation. The resources are available for free at PoetryOutLoud.org.
The Vermont champion will receive $200 and will advance to the national finals next spring where $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be distributed.
The representing school or organization of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for their school or organization. The National Endowment for the Arts provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals. To learn more about the Vermont Poetry Out Loud contest, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
