Henry Molina from John F. Kennedy High School, in the Sacramento City Unified School District, is the winner of the Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest for 2013. He took first place from a field of 15 during the Sacramento County finals, held Thursday, February 7, at Rosemont High School in Sacramento. Carinn Candelaria, from Pleasant Grove High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, is the Sacramento County runner-up.
Henry earned the right to represent Sacramento County in the State Finals, March 24-25 in Sacramento. California's overall winner will receive $200 and an expense-paid trip to compete in the National Finals in Washington, D.C. This year's National Finals will be held April 28-30. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be awarded at the national finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion.
Sacramento Poet Laureate Jeff Knorr served as the master of ceremonies. Sacramento County Board of Education President Greg Geeting was on hand to help present awards to the top-performing students.
The Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud competition encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program provides students with the opportunity to perform poetry in English classes.
Modeled like the National Spelling Bee, the Poetry Out Loud program began in local high school classrooms, with winners advancing to school-wide, then regional competitions. Schools countrywide are participating in regional competitions.
2013 Poetry Out Loud Participants
- Raven Lopez, Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School
- Kaitlin Ballisty, Capital Christian High School
- Elizabeth Krestoff, Center High School
- Karissa Elliott, Del Campo High School
- Ciera Miller, Elk Grove High School
- Jackson Mathews, Inderkum High School
- Henry Molina, John F. Kennedy High School
- Gerald Pliman, Luther Burbank High School
- Harnoor Gill, Monterey Trail High School
- Chloe Saalsaa, Natomas Charter School
- Carinn Candelaria, Pleasant Grove High School
- Josephina Molina, Rio Americano High School
- Taylor Tuers, Rio Linda High School
- Claire Pinson, Sacramento County Day
- Kaitlin Koslowski, Sacramento Waldorf School
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is once again pleased to partner with the California Arts Council (CAC) in promoting and supporting the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest in the Sacramento region. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Poetry Foundation, SCOE and its partners encourage high school students to study and appreciate poetry through practice, performance, and competition.
SCOE would like to thank the following people for donating their time to serve as the 2013 Poetry Out Loud Judges: Trina Drotar, Frances Kakugawa, Sean King, Danyen Powell, and Steve Winlock, Ed.D.