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Arts Commission News

MAC Announces 2010-2011 Poetry Out Loud Program

DATE:         August 26, 2010  

CONTACT:    Susan Dobbs, Public Relations Director

601/359-6031, sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

JACKSON—The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation to present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.  Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a program that encourages students in grades 9 through 12 to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, as well as competition.  From September 2010 through January 2011, high schools statewide are invited to participate in classroom and school-wide contests leading toward one of three Mississippi Regional Contests in early February. The Sixth Annual Mississippi State Finals will be held in Jackson on Thursday, March 10, 2011. The state champion will advance to the National Finals held in Washington, D.C. April 27-29, 2011.

John Eze Uzodinma from Rosa Scott School in Madison was the winner of the 2010 Mississippi State Finals and represented the state at

the National Finals in Washington, D.C., where he was  the youngest contestant. The fifty-three contestants at the National Finals represent all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation contest to public, private, parochial and home schools across the country.  Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state contest, and ultimately advance to the National Finals.  More than 350,000 students across the country are expected to participate in the 2010-2011 Poetry Out Loud program.

Although the National Recitation Contest is the most visible aspect of POL, it is actually a way of teaching and learning poetry that uses analysis, memorization, and recitation to help students improve their reading comprehension skills while developing a greater appreciation for the art of poetry.

“Learning great poetry by heart develops the mind and imagination,” said Dana Gioia, former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.  “It isn’t just an arts program.  By immersing themselves in powerful language and ideas, the students will develop their ability to speak

well, especially in public.  This is a skill they will use in the workplace and the community for the rest of their lives.”

It is the goal of the Mississippi Arts Commission to involve as many students from across the state as possible. "The Poetry Out Loud program in Mississippi has grown from a handful of high schools being involved, to nearly 40 participating high schools,” says MAC Education Director, Kim Whitt. "Poetry in the classroom has improved reading comprehension scores and put our students back in touch with their rich literary heritage."

The NEA and the Poetry Foundation have partnered to provide administrative grants to state arts agencies, prizes, and will coordinate the National Finals next April.  With the support of these national organizations, the Mississippi Arts Commission plans to engage high school students from all of Mississippi's public, independent, parochial, and home schools.  Additionally, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation provide state arts agencies with free, standards-based curriculum materials for participating schools. 

Taking part in Poetry Out Loud can be as simple or as involved as each individual school wants it to be: It can start in one classroom or engage an entire District, offering an outstanding educational experience for the students. In order to participate in the 2010-2011 program, schools must submit a registration form (available at www.arts.state.ms.us) by December 10, 2010. All registered schools will receive a complete "training kit" that includes a teacher's manual, audio CD, DVD video, and other materials to help prepare their student contestants.

High School teachers who are interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud can contact Ken Bolinsky, State Coordinator, at poetryoutloud@arts.state.ms.us or by calling 601-823-0642. For more information about Poetry Out Loud in Mississippi, visit www.arts.state.ms.us and click on the POL logo.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, and other private sources.  MAC is the official grants-making and service agency for the arts in Mississippi. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of arts in community life and in arts education.

 

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