By Briana Sparrow
Tyair Blackman, a junior at Dodge County High School, recently placed first at the region competition for Poetry Out Loud and will be advancing to the state competition on March 15, 2015, at the Atlanta History Center. Tyair recited the poems “Self-Inquiry before the Job Interview” by Gary Soto and “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe.
“A week before the competition, I went berserk and practiced all of the time.” says Blackman
“On the stage and off I felt as if I was holding my heart in my hands, but when I started doing the poems the nerves went away and afterwards I felt like a boss. When I won, I was ecstatic.”
“Our program is only in its second year and Tyair is competing at the state level, which just proves the talent that our students have,” said Donna Purvis who served as the Poetry Out Loud coordinator this year, adding that she wishes Tyair the best of luck.
Poetry Out Loud is a poetry recitation contest held at various high schools nationwide and was founded in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts and The National Poetry Foundation. The foundation rewards the top three finalists in each competition with a monetary prize. The 2015 competition marked Dodge County High School’s second year being involved in the program.
The winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expense paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, D.C. to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for his her or school library. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually at the National Finals, with one winner taking home a college scholarship for $20,000.