Poetry Out Loud 2018
It's Off to Nationals for Judge Memorial's Rebecca Akec!
updated April 18, 2018
Congratulations to Judge Memorial junior, Rebecca Akec! She will be representing Utah in the National Poetry Out Loud final competition on April 23-25 at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Watch Rebecca Live! Semifinals and finals will be webcast live at: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/competition/national-finals The region 3 (which includes Utah) semifinal round will be Tuesday, April 24 from 5-8P ET (3-6P MST). The recitation order is determined by a random process. The Final competition will be Wednesday, April 25 from 7-9:15P ET (5-7:15P MST) You may follow Poetry Out Loud on Twitter at @PoetryOutLoud and @NEAarts
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Judge Memorial names 18 Semifinalists for Poetry Out Loud 2018
posted February 7, 2018
Congratulations to our 18 semifinalists who presented their poems at a school-wide assembly on Wednesday, February 7, 2018. The semifinalists were named by Judge Memorial English faculty. From this group, a school finalist will be selected who will go on to compete in the regional finals.
Judge Memorial’s 2018 Poetry Out Loud Semifinalists:
- *Finalist* Rebecca Akec, 11th grade: So This is Nebraska by Ted Kooser
- Averi Bailey, 12th grade: After the Disaster by Abigail Deutsch
- *Third Place* Mark Brunetti, 12th grade: The Last Laugh by Wilfred Owen
- *Second Place* Chris Clyne, 11th grade: The Season of Phantasmal Peace by Derek Walcott
- Estrella Estrada, 9th grade: El Ovido by Judith Ortiz Cofer
- Emily Garcia,12th grade: Kin by Maya Angelou
- Victoria Garcia, 12th grade: Self-employed by David Ignatow
- Julissa Gonzalez, 11th grade: Bent to the Earth by Blas Manuel De Luna
- Addison Hildreth, 10th grade: Harp Song of the Dane Woman by Rudyard Kipling
- Martine Jan, 12th grade: Medusa by Louise Bogan
- Kenia Martinez Juarez, 9th grade:The Kiss by Robert Graves
- Suwsan Kueny, 11th grade: Quite Frankly by Mark Halliday
- Bobby Lopez, 12th grade: Ode by Arthur O’Shaughnessy
- Jayme Mintz, 10th grade: Lazy by David Yezzi
- Olivia Rollman, 11th grade: Caged Bird by Maya Angelou
- Gabriel Sloan, 9th grade: Bleeding Heart by Carmen Giménez Smith
- Annika Weaver, 11th grade: Dirge without Music by Edna St. Vincent Milay
- Eleanor Young, 9th grade: Dawn of Man by Max Ritvo
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About Judge Memorial’s participation in Poetry Out Loud
Since 2006, all students enrolled at Judge Memorial Catholic High School compete in an annual school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition. Coordinated by the English department, every student, in all grade levels, is required to recite a poem from the national Poetry Out Loud anthology. Students select these poems in their English classes, reciting them in front of their classmates in daily classes. Each English class selects a finalist(s), and that group of students performs their poem in the Judge Auditorium before a large audience of Judge students, faculty and staff. School-wide finalists are selected by English faculty members.
Judge Memorial has had strong success at the most recent State competitions. In 2015, Leena Ngo was named the Salt Lake Regional Winner in the state-wide Poetry Out Loud competition. In 2014, Nick Markham earned State runner-up status, advancing after being named a Regional winner. In 2011, Michael Junkins finished in the top six. Laura Lighty was a 2010 State runner-up. In 2009, Katie Harrington was named the State runner-up, reciting "Detroit, Tomorrow" by Philip Levine, a 315-word poem, for the final round.
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About Poetry Out Loud
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 and has grown to involve millions of students across the country.