WASHINGTON -- Lake Hamilton High School's Sydney Bayless will compete this week in the National Endowment for the Arts' Poetry Out Loud program.
Bayless, a senior at the school in Pearcy, is among 53 students who made the national finals out of 310,000 competitors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The students will compete today and Wednesday in the District for an opportunity to win a grand prize of $20,000 and the title of national champion.
"We know that these 53 students have made it to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals through hard work, talent and confidence, but also with the support and encouragement of their teachers, peers, families and states," said Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Poetry Out Loud is a national initiative of the arts agency in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and state arts agencies that encourage high school students to learn more about poetry.
The state champions will compete today in three semifinal rounds, and the top nine finalists will advance to the finals on Wednesday.
The 53 state champions also have the opportunity to compete in the Poetry Ourselves competition by submitting an original work of poetry in one of two categories: either a written poem or a video of a spoken poem. The two winners and runners-up will be announced Wednesday at the finals.
Metro on 04/25/2017