Union County High School Student Elliot Davidson Wins Pennsylvania's 'Poetry Out Loud' State Championship

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Elliot Davidson, a junior at Lewisburg Area High School in Union County is Pennsylvania's 2015 "Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest" state champion for the second consecutive year. Davidson will represent Pennsylvania in the national contest in Washington, D.C.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts hosted the competition at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg. Governor Tom Wolf welcomed the 14 finalists from across the state to the capital city.

"Arts are a critical component of a young person's education," said Gov. Tom Wolf. "That's why I remain committed to making the historic investments in education that would enable all schools that teach to sustain and even expand art programs like Poetry Out Loud."

The state champion will receive $200 from The Poetry Foundation and an expense-paid trip to the national championship, which will take place April 28-30.  A total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends will be awarded, with at least one $20,000 award.

Second place went to Aaron Preston, a senior at Reading Senior High School in Berks County.

Davidson and Preston were among 14 regional finalists chosen from 7,000 high school-aged students who participated in this year's competition across the commonwealth. The contest is facilitated through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Each student memorized and performed three poems selected from print and online poetry anthologies. Students were judged on voice and articulation, physical presence, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, overall performance and accuracy.

The 12 other regional finalists competing today were:

• Gisèle Betances, Grade 12, Gettysburg Area School District, Adams County
• Katherine Bradshaw, Grade 12, Indiana Area School District, Indiana County
• Joshua DeLange, Grade 12, Altoona Area School District, Blair County
• Ally Ellis, Grade 10, State College Area School District, Centre County
• Gazal Jabir, Grade 11, Whitehall-Coplay School District, Lehigh County
• David Kraus, Grade 11, Greystone Academy, Bucks County
• Maggie Poost, Grade 10, Wyalusing Area School District, Bradford County
• Drew Praskovich, Grade 12, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allegheny County
• Olivia Romano, Grade 12, Tunkhannock Area School District, Wyoming County
• Amberlyn Wilk, Grade 12, Somerset Area School District, Somerset County
• Marissa Anne Works, Grade 12, Hermitage School District, Mercer County
• Paxton Zeis, Grade 11, Derry Township School District, Dauphin County

The panel of judges for the state championship included artists, educators, and former Poetry Out Loud state champions:

• Christopher Estevez, Pennsylvania's first Poetry Out Loud state champion in 2006;
• Francesca Fiore, the 2008 Pennsylvania Poetry Out Loud state champion, now an art teacher in Hartford, Conn.;
• Sally Flaherty, the social studies content advisor with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and program manager for the Educator Dashboard Early Warning System;
• Mary Fulton, the manager of the Geospatial Services Division for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Office of Information Technology and Bureau of Software Services Management;
• DeVonna D. Smith, the 2011 Poetry Out Loud state champion, now a senior at West Chester University;
• Molly Stolz, the 2009 Poetry Out Loud state champion, now a junior at The Pennsylvania State University; and
• James A. West, a PCA member and accomplished artist who specializes in sculpture.

Jeffrey Gabel, the founding executive director of the historic Majestic Theater and PCA member, served as master of ceremonies.

Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, the Poetry Out Loud contest encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor's Office that works to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. The council formed the Pennsylvania Arts in Education Partnership in 1995 to enhance efforts to foster educational excellence through participation in the creative process in schools and community settings.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, visit www.pacouncilonthearts.org or call 717-787-6883. For further information on Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Heather Doughty, 717-787-1517

SOURCE Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

Related Links

http://www.pacouncilonthearts.org/