Poetry Out Loud 2009 - Arts in EducationYakima Student Wins Poetry Out Loud State Finals Two Years in a RowBreAnna Jones of West Valley High School in Yakima won the Washington state Poetry Out Loud 2009 final with her recitations of "If" by Rudyard Kipling, "In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr."
Twelve students advanced from regional finals in Clark, Pierce, Skagit, Thurston, Yakima, and Spokane counties to participate in the state final. Through three rounds of poetry recitations a panel of judges evaluated the students' accuracy, presence, voice, and other criteria.
As the winner of the state final BreAnna won a $200 prize, her school was awarded $500 for the purchase of poetry books, and she received an all-expenses-paid trip (with a chaperone) to compete in the National Finals in Washington, DC, on April 26-28, 2009.
In speaking of her experience, BreAnna said, “Just like music, art and drama, poetry is an art form. It is another way to express yourself.”
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 The runner-up, Kevin Ma, a sophomore from Mead High School in Spokane, won $100 and a $200 stipend for his school. Three students received honorable mentions: Sara Pittman, a senior from A.C. Davis High School in Yakima; Sara Sanchez, a junior from Tenino High School; and Olivia Seward, a junior from Stadium High School in Tacoma.
This was the fourth year that Washington State participated in Poetry Out Loud. The state finals were produced in partnership with the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound, and included performances by Washington State Poet Laureate Samuel Green, Tacoma Poet Laureate William Kupinse, Bruce George, Co-Creator of Def Poetry Jam, and music by the Kareem Kandi Band.
VideoTVW, Washington State's Public Affairs TV Network, filmed the 2009 Poetry Out Loud state final. To view the finals, click here.
“Poetry Out Loud has enriched my own writing in terms of discovering ways of stringing together words to create different sounds and sensory imagery.” Samantha Hansen, 2009 Southwest Washington Regional Final winner
State FinalistsSarah Gevirtzman, Olympia High School Antassia Hammond, Sunnyside High School Samantha Hansen, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics Hannah Holtgeerts, Anacortes High School BreAnna Jones, West Valley High School Kevin Ma, Mead High School Sara Pittman, A.C. Davis High School Ingrid Rochon, Ferndale High School Sara Sanchez, Tenino High School Olivia Seward, Stadium High School Ciara Totton, East Valley High School Amanda Welch, Puyallup High School
“Poetry has become a whole new, fluent language for my heart and soul, something that I am able to share with other people because they understand too. It’s all about things everybody goes through. To be able to communicate that to others…really makes a difference in people’s lives.” Antassia Hammond, 2009 Central Washington Regional Final winner
Participating SchoolsEastern WashingtonOkanogan County: Okanogan High School
Central WashingtonGrant County: Wahluke High School
Southwest WashingtonClark County: Camas High School, Hayes Freedom High School, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics
South SoundPierce County: Franklin Pierce High School, Lincoln High School, Peninsula High School, Puyallup High School, Stadium High School, Wilson High School
Northwest WashingtonIsland County: Coupeville High School | ||||
