Maiss Hussein is Poetry Out Loud's Delaware Finalist

The content of this post comes from a release from The Delaware Division of the Arts...

Senior Maiss Hussein (pictured at right) from Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech High School has been named the Delaware State Finalist for the national Poetry Out Loud competition. Maiss will represent Delaware and advance to the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, National Finals in Washington, DC on April 30-May 2, 2024, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.

Hussein is currently in the dental program and plans to attend Dental Hygiene school. She loves poetry and has always had an interest in literature. Recently, she has started to write her own poetry. Hussein also works with her school's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program, which correlates with her interest in literature and culture. She has great pride in her Palestinian heritage and loves to find connections between her culture and poetry.

Photo by Sam Wilson, Moonloop Photography

DDOA Announces Finalists for Poetry Out Loud State Competition

The content of this post comes from a press release provided by the Delaware Division of the Arts...

Following a three-year hiatus, Delaware’s Poetry Out Loud State Finals returns for the first in-person competition since 2020. The recitation contest will be hosted at the Smyrna Opera House on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 7:00pm. Twelve student finalists will compete for the opportunity to represent Delaware and advance to the National Finals in Washington, DC from May 8-10, 2023. The event is free to the public and seating is limited.

At their school, students selected and recited works from an anthology of more than 1,200 poems. Their teachers or facilitators ran their school’s local Poetry Out Loud competition that then selected a winner to be moved on to the state finals.

“Congratulations to the twelve talented and creative high school students who have been selected as semi-finalists in the 2023 Delaware Poetry Out Loud competition,” says Division Director Jessica Ball. “Your hard work and passion for the arts is truly inspiring. Keep up the great work and we can’t wait to see where your passion for the arts takes you in the future.”

The 2023 Delaware State semi-finalists are:

• Bekah Booth, Delaware Valley Classical School
• Maiss Hussein, Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
• Emily Roth, MOT High School
• Aiden Morris, Mount Sophia Academy
• Lale Ergen, Newark Charter High School
• Julia Nowaczyk, Padua Academy
• Hunter Brown, Red Lion Christian Academy
• Abigail Ehemann, Saint Mark’s High School
• Kaylee Rathbone, Sanford School
• Joelle Caternor, Smyrna High School
• Morgan Burnett, Sussex Central High School
• Ololade Olubowale, Tatnall School

Poetry Out Loud — presented in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Poetry Foundation — is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.1 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The Delaware state champion will receive $200 and will advance to the national finals where $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be distributed. The representing school or organization of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for their school or organization. 

Rebecca Wisniewski Named Delaware Poetry Out Loud Champion

The content of this post comes from a press release from The Delaware Division of the Arts.

Rebecca Wisniewski of Milford, Delaware's Poetry Out Loud Champion

From a field of 10 Delaware high school students, Rebecca Wisniewski, a senior from Milford High School, earned the title of 2021 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held virtually on March 2, 2021. The first runner-up was Lia Dougherty from Sanford School in Wilmington, and the second runner-up was Janelle Carter of Delaware Valley Classical School in New Castle.

Rebecca is a member of the school drama club and has acted in plays and musical for years. She unexpectedly found that learning poetry has made her a better performer in general, stating, “...you have to put yourself in the background – while you are forming a deeper connection to the pieces. Reciting a poem means you have to pull from your emotions. It’s about being self-aware, even while forming a deep connection to the voices in the poems.” Ms. Wisniewski also took part in Poetry Out Loud previously in her junior year.

Wisniewski chose poems this year with very different energies. “Domestic Situation” by Ernest Hilbert, which Wisniewski calls “a tricky poem,” challenged her with its seeming sarcasm about a somber subject – domestic abuse. “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson felt manic and mournful, and “has so much room inside it to perform.” Her favorite, “How to Triumph Like a Girl”, by Ada Limon, was, in Rebecca’s words, “fun, upbeat and has a positive message.” All of the poems scored high marks with the judges.

For her winning presentation, Wisniewski will receive $200 and will compete at the National Semifinals which will be held virtually on Sunday, May 2nd beginning at Noon on the National Endowment for the Arts website, arts.gov. Milford High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials for its school library. Lia Dougherty, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Sanford School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

Chelsea Anokye-Agyei to Represent Delaware in 2019 Poetry Out Loud Finals

Chelsea Anokye-Agyei in performance.
Photo by Joe del Tufo.

This post content comes from a Delaware Division of the Arts press release...

From an initial field of 20 Delaware high school students and then 12 state finalists, Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, a senior from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, earned the title of 2019 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna on February 26. The first runner-up was Samuel McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical School, and the second runner-up was Sarah Stevenson from Milford Senior High School.

Anokye-Agyei’s final recitation, The Albatross by Kate Bass, earned her high marks with the judges. The full poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website.

For her winning presentation, Anokye-Agyei will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington with a chaperone to compete at the national championship on April 29-May 1. Hodgson Vo-Tech High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Samuel McGarvey, the first runner-up, will receive $100, and Tall Oaks Classical School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

DDOA to Host Annual Poetry Out Loud State Final Competition

This post content courtesy of a press release from the Delaware Division of the Arts...

From a competitive field of 20 Delaware high school students, 12 remain to compete at the statewide recitation competition that will be held at Dover High School on Tuesday, February 27, at 7:00pm.

The finalists will compete for the opportunity to represent Delaware and advance to the National Finals in Washington on April 24 & 25, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.

2018 Delaware State Finalists

• Chelsea Anokye-Agyei - Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
• Matthew Byer - Wilmington Friends School
• Avery Chambers - Caravel Academy
• Julian Clark - Middletown High School
• Andrew Dingwall - Wilmington Christian School
• Whitney Grinnage-Cassidy - Ursuline Academy
• Melina Hudson - Milford Senior High School
• Tyler Keeler - Laurel High School
• Giovani Malcolm - Concord High School
• Richard Matthews - Dover High School
• Samuel McGarvey - Tall Oaks Classical School
• Dounya Ramadan - Newark Charter Jr./Sr. High School

The competition encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest is sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

The Delaware Division of the Arts sponsors the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest program in Delaware schools and the state finals. Competition begins at the classroom level in the fall and culminates with the state finals each spring. Over twenty schools and more than 2,000 Delaware students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program in the current academic year. The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest competition is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. 

Delaware Student to Compete in National 2017 Poetry Out Loud Finals

2017 Poetry Out Loud State Champion
Cecilia Ergueta.

Information in this post courtesy of a release from the Delaware Division of the Arts...
From a competitive field of 13 Delaware high school students, Cecilia Ergueta, a junior from Wilmington Friends School, earned the title of 2017 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna, Del. on Feb. 28. The first runner-up was Shalyn Littlejohn from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School and the second runner-up was Sam McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical High School.

Ergueta’s final recitation, The True-Blue American by Delmore Schwartz, earned her high marks with the judges. The full poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website.

For her winning presentation, Ergueta will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington with a chaperone to compete at the national championship on April 25 & 26. Wilmington Friends School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Shalyn Littlejohn, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Hodgson Vo-Tech High School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Delaware's statewide competitors included students Andrew Dingwall, Cecilia Ergueta, Jane Krukiel, Tania Laurent, Glynnis Leach, Carly Lepore, Shalyn Littlejohn, Sam McGarvey, Shannon Murray, Natalie Nwanekwu, Mollie Russell, Nick Thompson and Ryan Washington.

The Delaware Division of the Arts sponsors the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest program in Delaware schools and the state finals. Competition begins at the classroom level in the fall and culminates with the state finals each spring. Twenty schools and over 2,000 Delaware students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program in the current academic year. The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest competition is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. 

Delaware Arts Info sends Cecilia all good wishes for a great performance in the national spotlight! GO DELAWARE!

Hannah Sturgis to Represent Delaware in National Poetry Out Loud Competition

Content of this post was taken from a Delaware Division of the Arts press release...

Delaware's Poetry Out Loud Champion, Hannah Sturgis.
Photo by Kathleen Buckalew.

Hannah Sturgis, a junior from Polytech High School, earned the title of 2016 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna, Delaware, on February 23. The first runner-up was Brandon Dawson from Middletown High School, and the second runner-up was Jordan McMillan from Sanford School. More than 18 students competed in the Delaware finals.

Hannah Sturgis’s final recitation, Infelix by Adah Isaacs Menken, earned her high marks with the judges. The full poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website.

For her winning presentation, Hannah Sturgis will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, with a chaperone to compete at the national championship May 2-4, 2016. Polytech High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. Brandon Dawson, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Middletown High School will receive $200 toward the purchase of poetry books.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

See. www.artsdel.org.