Daniel Bellomy of Cass Technical High School in Detroit Wins Poetry Out Loud State Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 7, 2009
CONTACT: Scott Hirko, Public Relations Officer,
shirko [at] mihumanities.org, 517-372-0029 ext. 25
Bellomy to receive $200 and win a trip to national finals in Washington, D.C.; Katie Corbit of Portage Central H.S. finishes second
(LANSING)-----Daniel Bellomy of Cass Technical High School in Detroit won the 2009 Poetry Out Loud state championship hosted today in Lansing by the Michigan Humanities Council. Bellomy bested 23 other contestants from across Michigan to win the title. He is currently in the 11th grade. He will receive a $200 cash award and an all-expenses paid trip to the national finals in Washington D.C. from April 28-29, 2008. Cass Tech High School will also receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. Katie Corbit of Portage Central High School was named the runner-up in the competition. She is also in the 11th grade. She will receive $100, along with $200 for the Portage Central High School library. The competition was held at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing.
Each student recited two poems; the top four students competed in a final, championship round. The students competing in the championship round recited a third poem. Each student's performance was judged on six categories: Physical Presence; Voice and Articulation; Appropriateness of Dramatization; Level of Difficulty; Evidence of Understanding; and, Overall Performance.
Bellomy’s three poems he recited were:
- We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar
- Danse Russe by Willliam Carlos Williams
- A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Poetry Out Loud program, a Michigan Humanities Council partnership program with the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Library of Michigan, and the Michigan Youth Arts Association, encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. In 2009 – its fourth year – Michigan’s Poetry Out Loud had its greatest participation with 24 schools and more than 1,000 students involved. Since October, Language Arts/English teachers at participating schools have prepared students to compete at the school level and advance to the state finals. Each school champion advanced to the state competition held earlier today. Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
Bellomy will compete at the National Finals, to be held on April 28-29, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Scholarships and school stipends totaling $50,000 will be awarded at the National Finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud national champion. Each of the four students who competed in the championship round – Bellomy, Corbit, Zaire Jackson of Carman-Ainsworth High School (Flint), and Lauren Treiber of Forest Hills Central High School (Grand Rapids) – have been invited to participate in the 47th annual Michigan Youth Arts Festival in Kalamazoo on May 7-9, 2009.
Previous Michigan Poetry Out Loud winners were Charles White of Forest Hills Central High School (Grand Rapids) in 2008, Sarah Harris of Holt High School in 2007, and Travis Walter from Holt High School in 2006.
The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is an independent, non-profit organization funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
2008-2009 MICHIGAN CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND Finalists:
- 1st Place - Daniel Bellomy (Cass Technical HS, Detroit)
- 2nd Place - Katie Corbit (Portage Central HS, Portage)
- Finalist - Zaire Jackson (Carman-Ainsworth HS, Flint)
- Finalist - Lauren Treiber (Forest Hills Central High School,Grand Rapids)
2008-2009 Michigan Poetry Out Loud participating schools and students
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FACTS AND FIGURES FROM 2007-2008 MICHIGAN’S POETRY OUT LOUD
- 906 students in Michigan participated and returned evaluations.
- 18 teachers participated and returned evaluations.
- Teachers provided 153 hours of their time in addition to 163 hours of classroom time.
- Over $100,000 in prizes were awarded to students and schools at state and national levels.
Students who returned evaluations reported the following about Poetry Out Loud:
- 86% developed their own individual interpretation of poems.
- 85% saw connections between poetry and everyday culture.
- 82% understood that poetry can be a powerful tool for expression.
- 68% understood that poems meet different purposes and were led to explore challenging and unfamiliar poems.
- 67% were more confident in their public speaking from reciting poetry.
- 58% could understand and explain different poetic elements.
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News
2009 Michigan Poetry Out Loud champion Daniel Bellomy of Cass Technical High School (Detroit).
2009 Michigan Poetry Out Loud runner up Katie Corbit of Portage Central High School.