The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

350 Whittier Street, Juneau, Alaska   99801

Contacts:   Amanda Filori, 907 419 7828, pol@jahc.org  Laura Forbes, 907 269 6682, laura.forbes@alaska.gov

~ PRESS RELEASE ~

March 8, 2019 ~ Juneau, Alaska

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and

 Alaska State Council on the Arts

Announces Winners of Statewide Poetry Out Loud Finals

The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council (JAHC) and the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) are delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 Poetry Out Loud Statewide Final Competition.

Honor Mealey of North Pole High School was named Alaska State Champion, adjudicated by a five-judge panel, with Natalie Fraser of West Anchorage High School named Runner-up.  Ten students from across Alaska competed in the 2019 Statewide Finals, held on Thursday, March 7^th in the @360 North Studio at KTOO-TV in Alaska’s Capital City.

The outstanding field of ten Alaska State finalists included: Morgan Blackgoat of Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau, Iris Downey of Homer High School, Avery Herrman-Sakamoto of Petersburg High School, Moriah Jacobsen of Glennallen High School, Talisa McKinley of Ketchikan High School, Florence Sarren of Frank A. Degnan High School in Unalakleet, Kiana Vesel of Academy Charter School in Palmer, Eliana Zimmerman representing Tanalian School in Port Alsworth.

The 2018-2019 academic year is the 14^th for Poetry Out Loud, encouraging millions of high school students learn, grow, and achieve in poetry recitation.  Poetry Out Loud starts with a broad base of participation, starting at the individual classroom level and moving on to schoolwide, regional, statewide, and finally the national contest.

Poetry Out Loud Statewide Finals are sponsored by JAHC and ASCA.  Poetry Out Loud  in Alaska is made possible by ASCA, JAHC, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and schools districts and communities across Alaska. Supporting partners in the Alaska State Finals include 360 North, 49 Writers and Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums. JAHC and its partners thank all of the teachers, librarians, school administrators, parents, and community supporters who have encouraged students to participate.  Poetry Out Loud helps students master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

For more information about Poetry Out Loud in Alaska go to  www.jahc.org/poetry-out-loud; for Poetry Out Loud nationally, the Online Anthology,  and teaching resources, visit https://www.poetryoutloud.org.

[END]

THE 2019 Alaska Poetry Out Loud State Finalists

These students will compete at the State Finals Competition on March 7th at @360 North Studio at 5pm. This event is free and open to the public.

• Kiana Vesel representing Academy Charter School in Palmer
• Florence Sarren representing Frank A. Degnan High School in Unalakleet
• Honor Mealey representing North Pole High School
• Natalie Fraser representing West Anchorage High School
• Morgan Blackgoat representing Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau
• Talisa McKinley representing Ketchikan High School
• Iris Downey representing Homer High School
• Moriah Jacobsen representing Glennallen High School
• Avery Herrman-Sakamoto representing Petersburg High School
• Eliana Zimmerman representing Tanalian School in Port Alsworth

POETRY OUT LOUD 2018 -2019 Timeline:

Before Winter Break – Introduce Poetry Out Loud and have students select poems to memorize

January 25, 2019 – Deadline for all Alaska School Competitions

February 1, 2019 – Video Posting Deadline for Schools participating in Regional Video Adjudication

February 13, 2019 – Deadline for In-person Regional Competitions to be held

February 15, 2019 – Deadline for all Alaska State Finalists to POL Program (Including Final List of Student Poems)

March 6-8, 2019 – Alaska State Poetry Out Loud Finals (Competition to be held on March 7th)

April 29-May, 2, 2019 – National Poetry Out Loud Finals

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2018 Competition Info:

Poetry Out Loud Alaska State Finals 2018

2017 Competition Info:

Poetry Out Loud Alaska State Finals 2017

2016 Competition Info:

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council is delighted to announce the winner of the 2016 Poetry Out Loud State Championship is Shannon Croft of West Anchorage High and the runner up is Rachel Moore of Shaktoolik. The POL competition was held March 15th at the Studio @360 North. There were 9 participants from high schools throughout the state of Alaska.

2015 Competition Info:

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council is delighted to announce the winner of the 2015 Poetry Out Loud State Championship is Maeva Ordaz of West Anchorage High and the runner up is Rachel Moore of Shaktoolik. The POL competition was held March 14th at the Studio @360 North. There were 9 participants from high schools throughout the state of Alaska.

Maeva’s winning performance in the National Competition in 2015

Watch To hear about the program from the 2015 Alaska and National Poetry Out Loud Champion, Maeva Ordaz, in a video she produced with the Alaska Teen Media Institute you can click the link at https://vimeo.com/138813527. Maeva discusses the value of the program and her experience with the Alaska State and National Poetry Out Loud Program.

2014 Competition Info:

Hear about the program from the 2014 Alaska State POL finalists

Learn more about Poetry Out Loud

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