SC Arts Commission Press Releases
York Student Advances to Washington, D.C. for Poetry Out Loud National Finals
March 12, 2008
Media Contact:
Milly Hough
(803) 734-8698
COLUMBIA, S.C. –Nine high school students from across the state competed at the Columbia Museum of Art Saturday in the state competition for the 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. The judges selected A'derrica Roseboro, a student from York Comprehensive High School in York County, to represent South Carolina at the national finals April 29 in Washington, D.C. The runner-up is Ashley Blanchard, a student from Timberland High School in Berkeley County.
Roseboro impressed the judges with her recitation of Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise.” She also recited "Oh hope! thou soother sweet of human woes" by Charlotte Smith and “Beautiful Black Men” by Nikki Giovanni. She receives $200, a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books for her school library, 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. Blanchard receives $100, and her library receives a $200 poetry book stipend.
The S.C. Arts Commission and the University of South Carolina's South Carolina Poetry Initiative sponsored the state competition, which took place during a day of workshops on the theme "Bringing Poetry Out of the Text." Other students competing in the contest were: Helene Huber, Ashley Hall; Iesha Moultrie, Berkeley High School; Brittany Brown, Lamar High School; Nick Jenkins, Fox Creek High School; Kaneisha Payton, Spring Valley High School; Katrina Leonhart, James F. Byrnes High School; and Amy Li, Riverside High School. Richard Garcia and Vera Gomez judged the contest.
Nearly 3,000 students statewide participated in the 2007-2008 Poetry Out Loud program, which challenges students to progress from classroom and school-wide contests to one of three regional competitions: Lowcountry, Midlands or Upstate. Three students from each region advance to the state finals. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation collaborated to create the program, which encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. For more, contact Susanna Brailsford at (803) 734-8639.
About SCAC:
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 is celebrating 40 years of increasing 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 and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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