The SMSU Forensics Team is partnering with the regional branch of Poetry Out Loud, a national organization, to help bring the opportunity for performance to this area. Please feel free to distribute the above poster and information here with others who would be interested, especially with 9-12 graders! The competition in this area will be Thursday, February 6th (with a snow date of Thursday, February 20). For more information, or if you would like to help partner with Poetry Out Loud in promoting this, please contact Melanie Schmidt mschmi3@isd77.org or Julie Walker at Julie.Walker@SMSU.EDU
About the Competition:
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with the Minnesota State Arts Board and South Central Service Cooperative to support Poetry Out Loud 2020, a FREE high school program to encourage the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitations. This dynamic program helps high school students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage, while competing for more than $100,000 in awards. Students progress through classroom, school, regional, state and national competitions in Washington D.C.
How do Students get involved:
All materials and resources are provided FREE to educators. Lesson plans, writing activities, poetry selections, and alignment to NCTE and Minnesota ELA Standards are available. More information is available online here. https://www.poetryoutloud.org/about-poetry-out-loud/
State champions receive $500 cash stipend for their school to purchase poetry materials and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at the 2020 National Finals.
To register, visit: https://www.mnscsc.org/poetry-out-loud
Questions can be directed to Mary Hillmann, 507-389-2509, mhillmann@mnscsc.org or locally to Melanie Schmidt mschmi3@isd77.org or Julie Walker at Julie.Walker@SMSU.EDU
