Students from 29 Oregon High Schools Compete for Scholarships in Nationwide Poetry Out Loud Competition

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1 Contact: Deborah Vaughn, (503) For Immediate Release January 10, 2011 Students from 29 Oregon High Schools Compete for Scholarships in Nationwide Poetry Out Loud Competition State Winner Will Represent Oregon at Nationals in Washington, D.C. The Oregon Arts Commission, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, brings Poetry Out Loud to 29 high schools in 21 communities this year. The program, now in its sixth year (and reaching over 3,500 Oregon students), involves the memorization and recitation of classic poetry and culminates in a statewide competition. Nationwide, more than 300,000 students are expected to participate. Participants compete for more than $50,000 in college scholarships awarded at the state and national levels. After months of classroom study and preparation, students participate in school wide recitation contests, with each winner eligible to compete in the state contest to be held March 12, 2011 in. Poetry Out Loud is a wonderful way for students to gain an appreciation of great poetry, said Deb Vaughn, Poetry Out Loud Coordinator for the Oregon Arts Commission. To own a poem through practiced recitation and find personal meaning in it is an experience students will carry with them for years to come. The first state contestant for 2011 is Julie Pham, a junior at Glencoe High School (Hillsboro) who recited A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman and hopes to attend medical school in the future. Contests have also been held at Springfield Academy of Arts and Academics and Veritas School (Newberg), but winners have not yet been announced. Trish Tran, parent of 2010 Oregon Poetry Out Loud Winner Brynn Tran of Lakeridge High School said because of Poetry Out Loud, Brynn enjoyed the poetry experience on a whole new level. Of course the performance was a rush for her, but she can now better analyze poems and reach a deeper understanding far beyond her previous capabilities. Because she is an aspiring writer, this is a forever gift that will serve her well throughout her life. Oregon poet laureate Paulann Petersen will serve as a judge at the state competition and read from her own work. Oregon Cultural Trust Manager and award winning actor Kimberly Howard will serve as the Master of Ceremonies at the 2011 Oregon State Poetry Out Loud Contest which will be held:

2 Kroc Center 1865 Bill Frey Drive, Semi-Finals Saturday, March 12, 1-5 pm Finals Saturday, March 12, 7-9 pm In addition to Petersen, other judges for the 2010 competition include Scott Palmer, Executive Director, Bag & Baggage Productions; poets Laurence Overmier () and John Martin (Bend); and educators and certified sign interpreters Danna Claborne and Pamela Cancel. In addition to winning a $200 scholarship and $500 for the winner s school library poetry collection, the state champion receives an all-expense-paid trip, with a chaperone, to Washington, DC to compete in the national finals, April 27-29, 2011: April is National Poetry Month. 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, and brings aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater into the English class. The Oregon Arts Commission, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation partner to sponsor Poetry Out Loud. The Arts Commission has developed an Oregon Curriculum Guide that can be used to connect Poetry Out Loud classroom activities to Oregon s Content and Performance Standards in Language Arts and the Arts/Drama. For more information on Poetry Out Loud, contact Coordinator Deb Vaughn, Oregon Arts Commission at or deborah.vaughn@state.or.us, or visit the national website at Media: Please contact the school coordinator listed for permission to cover a contest. *Indicates a new Poetry Out Loud School for the school year. Participating Schools Contest Date/Time School Coordinator Information Ashland High School 201 South Mountain Ave. Ashland Bandon High School 550 9th St. SW Bandon ASH Library February 15, :30 PM BHS Library Bill Street bill.street@ashland.k12.or.us Ellen Howard ellenh@bandon.k12.or.us

3 Cascade Christian 855 Chevy Way Medford Center for Advanced Learning 1484 NW Civic Dr Gresham College Hill High School* 510 NW 31st St Corvallis Condon High School 210 Bayard St. Condon Crook County High School 1100 SE Lynn Blvd Prineville Franklin High School* 5405 SE Woodward Grants Pass High School 830 NE 9th St. Grants Pass Hidden Valley High School 651 Murphy Creek Rd. Grants Pass Hood River Valley High School 1220 Indian Creek Rd Hood River Lakeridge High School 1235 Overlook Drive Lake Oswego Madison High School 2735 NE 82nd Ave Metropolitan Learning Center 2033 NW Glisan Mountain View High School* 2755 NE 27th St Bend Oregon City High School S Beavercreek Rd Oregon City February 9, :25 pm - 2:25 PM CCS Auditorium 6:00 PM CAL "The Forum" Eugene Smithwell Auditorium January 13, :45 PM FHS Choir Room January 21, :00 AM GPH Performing Arts Center February 16, :15 AM - 2:45 PM Columbia Art Gallery, 215 Cascade St. February 10, :00 PM LHS Aduitorium 12:12 PM -1:41 PM MHS Library MVHS Auditorium February 16, :00 PM - 4:30 PM OCHS Presentation Room Suzanne Ray sray@gracechristian.org Jeanne Sheets-Sagoo jeanne_sheets-sagoo@thecenterforadvancedlearning.org Carol Griffith carol.griffith@corvallis.k12.or.us Katie Cook Kcook@condon.k12.or.us Anita Hoffman anita.hoffman@crookcounty.k12.or.us Pam Garrett pgarrett@pps.k12.or.us Tori Marshall tmarshall@grantspass.k12.or.us Julia Richardson julia.richardson@threerivers.k12.or.us Regena Rafelson regena.rafelson@hoodriver.k12.or.us Edward Derby derbye@loswego.k12.or.us Daniel Fredgant dfredgan@pps.k12.or.us Stephen Lambert slambert@pps.k12.or.us Deb DeGrosse deborah.degrosse@bend.k12.or.us Patrick McDonald patrick.mcdonald@orecity.k12.or.us

4 Oregon School for the Deaf 999 Locust St NE Riverdale High School* 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd. Academy 942 Lancaster Dr., NE Sherwood High School SW Meinecke Rd Sherwood South Albany High School 3705 Columbus St. SE Albany West High School 1776 Titan Drive NW Willamina High School* 1100 Oaken Hills Dr. Willamina Wilson High School* 1151 SW Vermont Woodburn Arts & Communications Academy 1785 N. Front St Woodburn February 2, :00 PM OSD Gym January 31, :50 PM - 2:50 PM RHS Maverick Room 3:05 PM SHS Performing Arts Center SAHS Auditorium 3:00 PM WSHS Auditorium February 17, 2011 WHS Cafetorium 3:30 PM WHS Auditorium February 23, :30 AM WACA Lectorium Gayle Robertson gayle.robertson@osd.k12.or.us Catherine Kernodle catherine_kernodle@riverdale.k12.or.us Sarah Overby soverby@salemacademy.org Jared Jones jjones@sherwood.k12.or.us Patrick Leahy patrick.leahy@albany.k12.or.us Christina Eddy eddy_christina@salkeiz.k12.or.us James Scoggins james.scoggins@willamina.k12.or.us Allison Faherty allison.faherty@gmail.com Mindy Brooks mbrooks@woodburnsd.org The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Business Oregon Department in 1993 in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development. The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. For more information about the Oregon Arts Commission:

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