Ed. Note: Andrea Doray is one of the most patient bloggers in the world. She was incredibly timely with this report, and yours truly took forever to post it. Thanks, Andrea, for all you do!
Inspiring students take “road less traveled by”
by Andrea W. Doray
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Kids from across the state graced us with their poetry recitations in March.[/caption]
On the evening of March 19, I was awed and inspired for nearly three hours by 28 Colorado high school students. They were the best of the best, the cream of their respective crops, the lone representatives of their high schools—rural, urban, charter, religious, and those dedicated to special courses of study or specific populations, such as Denver School of the Arts and Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.
These young people filled the Lakewood Cultural Center with teachers, parents, mentors, and cheering fans. They also filled the venue with classic literature, with contemporary thought and expression, with their own interpretations of conversations from generations past.
What were these 19 girls and 9 guys doing? Participating in Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide contest that helps young people master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about our literary heritage. Students memorize and recite great poetry they choose from an anthology of more than 650 poems.
More than memorization…
For those of us required to memorize literature in high school—“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” (Miss Richards’ class, Monte Vista High School, circa 1974)—such recitation may not seem like a monumental task, as witnessed here by my remarkable recollection of a line from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”
Except that, hmmm, I was not competing with anyone. Plus, I only had to memorize a passage or two. Students from 9th through 12th grades competing in Poetry Out Loud at the state and national finals must learn three poems…and learn them well.
Think about yourself as a high school freshman. Then picture yourself alone on a stage, in a spotlight, facing an audience in the center of which sit several distinguished judges. Have you run away screaming from your own imagination yet?
These 28 young people did not. In fact, they excelled. They awed. They inspired. As one of the teachers and mentors—Lighthouse member Susan Spear, herself a published poet and MFA grad—commented afterwards, “I was intoxicated by the English language and the talents of the students.”
Teen Council talent triumph…
From this stage-full of talent, Alice Kilduff, a junior from Denver School of the Arts and member of the Lighthouse Teen Council—emerged as the 2013 Colorado Poetry Out Loud State Champion. Alice will compete in the National Finals in DC in April. Last season, more than 365,000 students participated in the competition.
Lighthouse’s own David Rothman emceed the evening with his impeccable presence (and his red shoes) and his humor. He also included a touching tribute to Jake Adam York.
Other Lighthouse members helped make the state competition possible: Kelleen Zubick did an amazing job of making the competition happen; J Diego Frey was a finals judge; Stephanie Spriggs and Julie Ripley were accuracy judges, and Julie also served as a prompter with Harriett Stratton. I hobbled around on a sprained ankle and smiled a lot.
Putting poetry in its place…
Often, poetry is considered difficult, out of reach, inaccessible. Yet all we really need to do is spend about three hours on a spring evening to understand that the road to great literature need not be the one “less traveled by” (Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”).
Congratulations, Alice…you and your fellow competitors make all the difference.
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Poetry Out Loud is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, who partner with Colorado Creative Industries for our state competition. State champions receive $200 and a trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, DC, for the national championship; their schools receive a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. A total of $50,000 in awards and stipends is presented annually at the National Finals. Lighthouse Writers Workshop looks forward to the event each year and tries to be involved.
