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S.C. Arts Commission Announces State Poetry Out Loud Champion
March 22, 2010
Media Contacts:
Milly Hough
(803) 734-8698
(803) 734-8620
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The S.C. Arts Commission announces Lauren DiNicola, a student at Charleston County School of the Arts, as the state champion for the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. DiNicola is advancing to the April 24 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., where she will recite poetry with students from across the nation.
DiNicola was one of 10 finalists from each region—Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry—who competed at the Columbia Museum of Art during state finals Saturday. Each recited three poems, which they had memorized and perfected during schoolwide and regional competitions.
As the state champion, DiNicola receives $200 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national finals, where the NEA will award $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends. Her high school library also receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.
Shannon Laribo from Ashley Hall Creative School for the Arts took was named runner-up. She receives $100, and her library receives a $200 poetry book stipend.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage while gaining an appreciation of poetry. Last year more than 200,000 students in all U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands competed.
Collaborating with the Arts Commission to carry out this year's statewide program are Hub City Writers Project, Sumter County Cultural Commission, the Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts, Humanities Council SC and the Columbia Museum of Art. For more, contact Frances Kablick at FMKablick@arts.sc.gov or (803) 734-8639.
About the S.C. Arts Commission
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission works to increase public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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