[IMC] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 40 NORTH | 88 WEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF

[Amanda Baker]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Contact: Kelly White, Executive Director
              40 North | 88 West - Champaign County Arts Council
              kwhite at 40north.org, 217.351.9841

40 NORTH | 88 WEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF
POETRY OUT LOUD REGIONAL CONTEST

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY -  40 North is pleased to announce the winners of the East Illinois regional contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. The regional runner up is Champaign Central High School student, Janjay Knowlden, who performed "When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats and "The Universe as Primal Scream" by Tracy K. Smith. The regional champion is Urbana High School student, Alexx Valdez, who performed "These Poems, She Said" by Robert Bringhurst and "The Albatross" by Kate Bass. The competition, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

On February 19, ten high school students from five area high schools participated in the Poetry Out Loud East Illinois regional contest at The Art Theater in Champaign. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, DC. Some 365,000 students from more than 2,000 high schools nationwide took part in the 2011-2012 Poetry Out Loud program.

The students recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 650 classic and contemporary
poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, and accuracy. Teachers introduced poetry recitation in the classroom using materials created by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, including a standards-based Teacher's Guide, a website, a Learning Recitation DVD, and a CD featuring poetry recitations by well-known actors and writers such as Anthony Hopkins and Rita Dove.

The two regional winners will advance to the Illinois state contest on March 8 in Springfield, IL. Each champion at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship, April 29-30, 2013. The school of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

To learn more about the Illinois Poetry Out Loud contest, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

40 North | 88 West
With the mission of cultivating creativity in Champaign County, 40 North | 88 West is dedicated to fueling the growth and well-being of our creative community by nurturing its arts, culture, and education. Through information, advocacy and collaboration, 40 North empowers artists, arts organizations, businesses and the community at large. For more information on 40 North, visit www.40north.org.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

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(Attached picture: on the left is runner up, Champaign Central High School student, JanJay Knowlden; on the right is winner, Urbana High School student, Alexx Valdez)



Amanda Baker
Programs and Events Coordinator
40 North | 88 West - Champaign County Arts Council
106 South Neil Street
Champaign, IL 61820
phone 217.363.3795
fax 217.398.3037
abaker at 40north.org<mailto:abaker at 40north.org>

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