ESD 112 announces the winners of the regional contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. The student winners are Michaela Cloyd, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield School District and Sameayah Pehlke, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Vancouver School District. These students will advance to the state competition in March.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Washington State Arts Commission, 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. On February 2, nine high school students from high schools in our region participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional contest at ESD 112.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses 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, DC. Some 365,000 students, 9,000 teachers, and 2,300 high schools nationwide took part in the 2014–2015 Poetry Out Loud program.

At ESD 112, 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, and accuracy. Teachers introduced poetry recitation in the classroom using materials created by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, including a standards‐based Teacher’s Guide, a website, a Learning Recitation DVD, and a CD featuring poetry recitations by well‐known actors and writers such as Anthony Hopkins and Rita Dove.

To learn more about Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.