Nantucket High School Senior Makes State Finals Of "Poetry Out Loud"

Nantucket High School senior Anna Popnikolova has advanced to the state finals of the Massachusetts "Poetry Out Loud" competition.

Last Sunday, Popnikolova competed in the Cape Cod Regional Semifinals at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in Yarmouth, MA. She represented Nantucket High School and secured one of four competitive spots as a state finalist. Popnikolova is now one of the 15 students out of the original 15,000 school-level competitors who will have the opportunity to recite three poems each in the historical Old South Meeting House in downtown Boston this coming Sunday, March 10th.

Poetry Out Loud — presented in partnership with the Huntington Theater Company of Boston, MA, National Endowment for the Arts, and Poetry Foundation — is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry by offering free educational materials and a recitation competition for high school students across the country. Since the program began in 2005, more than four million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

All finalists will recite works selected from an anthology of more than 1,100 poems. Judges will evaluate student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy.

The Massachusetts champion will receive a cash stipend and will advance to the national finals later this spring where $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be distributed. The representing school or organization of the state champion and first runner-up will receive a small grant for the purchase of poetry materials. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements (when necessary) for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.