Media Advisory/Calendar Listing: Poetry Out Loud state championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- February 28, 2008
CONTACT: Scott Hirko, Public Relations Officer,
shirko [at] mihumanities.org, 517-372-0029 ext. 25
- DATE: Saturday, March 8, 2008
- TIME: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
- WHERE:Forum Room, State Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing
- WHAT: Poetry Out Loud state championship
- COST: Free to the public. Limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
The third annual Poetry Out Loud poetry recitation competition state championship will be held on Saturday, March 8, 2008, from 1 – 4 p.m. in the Forum Room at the Library of Michigan in Lansing. Judges for the competition are: Sheri Jones, WLNS TV-6 news anchor; Chris McElroy, director of production for Michigan Television; and, playwright Sandra Seaton.
Students from 15 high schools across the state will be participating:
MID- MICHIGAN
- Dansville High School. Student: Brian Weber. Teacher: Pauline Lee (leepauli@msu.edu, 517-623-6120 ext. 234).
- Holt High School. Student: Korrey Hurni. Teacher: Margaret Charette (mcharette@hpsk12.net, 517-699-6430).
- Ionia High School. Student: Kendra Moon. Teacher: Jack Powell (jlpowell@ionia.k12.mi.us, 616-527-0600 ext. 244).
- Owosso Christian School. Student: Kayleena Heslip. Teacher: Betty Melrose (bbmelrose@verizon.net, 989-723-4510).
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
- Milan High School. Student: Megan Cary. Teacher: Erin Jones (growley@milan.k12.mi.us, 734-439-5000).
- North Branch High School. Student: Kyle Mathei. Teacher: Cindy Stevens (cstevens@nbbroncos.net, 810-688-3001 ext. 2153).
- Osborn High School (Detroit). Student: Angel Lipscomb. Teacher: Monique Guest-Schuh (momskorner@aol.com, 313-866-0343).
- Southeastern High School (Detroit). Student: Deaira Littles. Teacher: Angela Mahone (amahone2@aol.com, 313-866-4500 ext. 4792).
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
- Alba Public School. Student: Molly Hensley. Teacher: Judith Zimpfer (zimpferj@gmail.com, 231-584-2000 ext. 125).
- Leelanau School (Glen Arbor). Student: Kathryn “Kate” Elizabeth Little. Teacher: Norman Wheeler (nwheeler@leelanau.org, 231-334-5890).
- Mackinac Island High School. Student: Arial Leeper. Teacher: Lance Greenlee (lgreenlee@eup.k12.mi.us, 906-847-3377).
- Houghton High School. Student: Kate Griffith. Teacher: Julie Antilla (paldrich@houghton.k12.mi.us, 906-482-0450 ext. 1850).
WEST MICHIGAN
- Buchanan High School. Student: Emily Elizabeth Chance. Teacher: Sharon Bitterman (sbitterm@remc11.k12.mi.us, 269-965-8403).
- Forest Hills Central High School (Grand Rapids). Student: Charles White. Teacher: Sarah Scobell (sscobell@fhps.us, 616-493-8700).
The state winner will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete for the national championship April 28 - 29, 2008. The state winner's school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The runner-up in the state competition will receive $100, along with $200 for his or her school library.
Each of the 50 states will have a statewide competition and the statewide winners will advance to the national finals in Washington D.C. Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest presented by the Michigan Humanities Council, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Library of Michigan, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation.
The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is a private, non-profit organization, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information, please visit: www.michiganhumanities.org or call 517-372-7770.
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