Hawaii Students Invited to Compete in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts invite high school students from across the state to compete in the 2016-17 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

To get involved, high school teachers should contact HTY at 839-9885 ext. 704 or e-mail edadmin@htyweb.org. Deadline to register is December 16, 2016.

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

Schools are invited to participate in classroom and school wide contests, advancing to a Hawaii state competition on February 12, 2017 in Honolulu. The state champion will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Finals April 24-26, 2017in Washington, DC, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.

Punahou School 11th grader Nicholas Amador was selected as the 2016 Hawaii Poetry Out Loud champion. He went on to represent the state and won third place at the National Finals in Washington, DC, in May.

This is the 12th year that HTY is partnering with HSFCA to bring Poetry Out Loud to Hawaii. More than 365,000 students from over 2,300 high schools nationwide took part in the 2015-16 Poetry Out Loud program.

"To memorize a great poem is to make a friend of it for life," said John Barr, President of the Poetry Foundation. "Poetry Out Loud brings new energy to an ancient art by returning it to the classrooms of America."

The NEA and the Poetry Foundation will provide state arts agencies with free, standards-based curriculum materials for use by participating schools. These materials include an online poetry anthology and a Teacher's Guide with sample lesson plans to help instructors teach recitation and performance. Program materials are also available for download on the website,www.poetryoutloud.org, which offers additional resources.

About Honolulu Theatre for Youth

Honolulu Theatre for Youth is Hawaii's non-profit professional theatre company providing theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of Hawaii's young people and families. Founded in 1955, HTY is recognized the world over as one of America's most honored theatres. Explore HTY on the web at www.htyweb.org.

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