Students from 3 High Schools
Compete in 'Poetry Out Loud'

Students from three area schools will compete in the Orange County finals of the Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest in Randolph next week.

Randolph Union High School, Rivendell Academy, and Williamstown High School will compete Tuesday, March 27 at 6 p.m. at Chandler Music Hall.

Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program is administered in Vermont by the Vermont Arts Council.

The winners of 10 county competitions will advance to the state finals, at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 12 at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier. The National Endowment for the Arts deputy chairwoman, Eileen Mason, will be in attendance.

The Vermont state champion will advance to the national finals, to take place on April 30-May 1 in Washington, DC.

Anna Catherine Svagzdys, a student at Montpelier High School won $200 as the 2006 Vermont Poetry Out Loud champion and represented the state at the National Finals last April.

Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends at the National Finals, with at least a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance. The program builds on "the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement," the organization says.

"Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage."