DUBOIS – Sophomore Jacquelyn Spicher was the winner of this year’s DuBois Area High School All-School Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest.
With the win, Spicher advances to the regional competition to be held in State College Feb. 7. There, the first-place winner advances to the state competition in Harrisburg March 6.
At the DAHS competition, Allison Benn placed second and Alexis Maze finished third. Other competitors included Kaya Hayward, Lindsey Hewitt, Maddy Cable, Jared Beard, Samantha Vida, Cole Shultz, Grace McVay and Sylvia Rensel.
Students recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 700 classic and contemporary poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria, including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty and accuracy.
The competition, presented in partnership with ArtsPath, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program the encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational material and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud used a pyramid structure.
Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to regional and state competitions, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., April 25-26.
To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud contest, contact ArtsPath or visit www.poetryoutloud.org.