Naomi Dillard from Inderkum High School, in the Natomas Unified School District, is the winner of the 2019 Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud recitation contest. She took first place from a field of 12 during the Sacramento County finals, held yesterday at Rosemont High School in Sacramento.
Sofia Abramsky-Sze from C. K. McClatchy High School, in the Sacramento City Unified School District, is the Sacramento County runner-up. Dillard will represent Sacramento County in the State Finals, March 10–11, 2019, in Sacramento.
The poetry recitation contest 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 after the National Spelling Bee, the Poetry Out Loud program began in local high school classrooms. Winners advance to school-wide, then regional competitions. The competition has grown with schools now competing countrywide.
Sacramento County’s Poetry Out Loud program is supported by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), California Poets in the Schools, and the Poetry Foundation. This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
2019 Poetry Out Loud Participants
- Sofia Abramsky-Sze, C. K. McClatchy High School (Sacramento City Unified)
- Leanne Bernales, Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove Unified)
- Tayler Bradley, Heritage Peak Charter School
- Naomi Dillard, Inderkum High School (Natomas Unified)
- Alicia Hernandez, George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences (Sacramento City Unified)
- Julia Livingstone, Cornerstone Christian School
- Mahlia McCauley, Grant Union High School (Twin Rivers Unified)
- Cassie Morrish, West Campus High School (Sacramento City Unified)
- Joshua Rose, Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove Unified)
- Marley Ross, Capital Christian High School
- Gina Talcott, Rio Americano High School (San Juan Unified)
- Bernadette Tropel, John F. Kennedy High School (Sacramento City Unified)