Get ready!

Poetry Out Loud 2009 is just around the corner.

The Nevada Arts Council, the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education invites your participation in the fourth year of Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest for high school students sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

What Happened in 2008?

All Nevada counties with high schools participated with local and semi-final competitions. Lainey Henderson, a junior at Carson High School in Carson City, took first place at the State Finals, receiving $1,000, and competed for $50,000 in scholarships and school prizes in the National Finals in Washington, D.C. Her school received $2,000 for the purchase of poetry books and to support literary programs. Talton Gay, a junior at Elko’s Independence High/Nevada Youth Training Center, took second place and Heather Gibeson, a junior at Pahrump Valley High School, won third place. Each received $500, with $1,000 for his or her school.

The State Finals were held on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, with guest speakers, First Lady Dawn Gibbons, John Ostrout, director of State and Regional Partnerships, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); Paul Dugan, superintendent, Washoe County School District and Heather Hardy, dean, College of Liberal Arts, UNR.

Required to prepare three poems from an anthology created by the NEA and The Poetry Foundation, all students recited one poem in Round 1 and a second poem in Round 2. Only three students advanced to Round 3 to compete for the state championship. The panel of judges reviewed each recitation using 10 different criteria including accuracy, voice inflection, difficulty of selection and interpretation.

2008 competition judges were: Erin Meehan Breen, KTVN Channel 2 News Team, Reno; Katharine Coles, Utah’s Poet Laureate and Associate Professor of English, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Nancy Cummings, former director, Washoe County Library System, Reno; Jill Derby, educational and governance consultant, Association of Governing Boards, Minden; Geralda Miller, reporter, Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno; Steven Nightingale, author and poet, northern California; and Gary Sessa, project facilitator for Theatre and Dance, Clark County School District, Las Vegas. Tracy Gruber, ELA/Fine Arts Consultant, Nevada Department of Education in Carson City served as prompter.

Why Poetry?

As John Barr, president of The Poetry Foundation noted, “…In the hands of the poet, our everyday speech becomes a musical instrument.” Poetry Out Loud engages students in the dynamic aspects of the spoken word and theatre through poetry recitation. The program encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, which help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about our literary heritage.
What do teachers get? Starting at the classroom level, teachers are provided with free multimedia curriculum materials – a poetry anthology, audio guide, teachers’ guide, posters, and comprehensive website, http://www.poetryoutloud.org all aligned to national standards – to augment your regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation and a school-level competition.

What do the students get?

School-level recitation champions advance to the state and national levels. The student winner and a chaperone from each participating school district will be reimbursed for their travel expenses to the State Finals on March 7, 2009 at the Siena Hotel in Reno.

The top three students at the State Finals will receive cash prizes of: 1st place - $1,000, 2nd place - $500, 3rd place - $500. The schools of the top three students will receive cash prizes for literary programs of: 1st place - $2,000, 2nd place - $1,000, 3rd place - $1,000.

How do schools or home-schooled students register?

Registration forms and instructions are available on the Nevada Arts Council’s website at www.nevadaculture.org. For more information, contact Maryjane Dorofachuk, Arts in Education Coordinator, at 702.486.3738 or mdorofachuck@nevadaculture.org

Professional Development Professional Development for Arts Educators

The Center for Arts Education click here

Education World offers an archive of Professional Development Opportunities and resources: click here

Better Education Through the Arts (BETA) Grants Postmark Deadline: November 17, 2008 for projects occurring January 1 – March 31, 2009. Nevada Arts Council’s Quarterly Better Education for the Arts (BETA) Grants provides funding in two categories: 1) Professional Development for Individuals to broaden their skills in arts education through participation in career enhancement arts education activities. 2) Arts Education Small Project Grants for Organizations and Individuals which are arts education focused projects and may include sponsored workshops or conferences, readings, performances and exhibits.

2008 Knowledge Exchange District Wide Change in Arts Education Workshop, Los Angeles County, CA – October 27-28, 2008 Los Angeles County’s successful initiative, Arts for All, is a series of policy changes and educational initiatives intended to institutionalize sequential K-12 arts education in Los Angeles County school districts. Participants from the workshop will leave Los Angeles with an understanding of what infrastructure is necessary to provide arts education, the coalition necessary to build it, and how to take the first step and each step thereafter. For more information visit www.artsusa.org

Target Field Trip Grants Deadline: November 1, 2008 The Target Field Trip Grants program provides funds for K-12 field trips in order to give students the opportunity to explore more of the world outside the classroom. Examples of eligible field trips include: art, science, and cultural museum visits; community service and civic projects; and career enrichment opportunities. In the current funding cycle, grants of up to $800 each will be awarded to 5,000 educators throughout the United States. Funds may be used to cover trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, resource materials, and supplies. Education professionals who are employed by accredited U.S. K-12 public, private, or charter schools are eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted online through the website by November 1, 2008.

Surdna Fellowships for Arts Teachers: Deadline: November 14, 2008 Surdna Applications are now available for the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. Art teachers from public arts high schools, as well as arts-focused, magnet, and charter high schools, are invited to apply for funding to support individual artistic development. Through this program, the Surdna Foundation provides grants of up to $5,500 to enable selected teachers to make art with professionals in their disciplines and stay current with new practices and resources. In addition, a $1,500 grant is awarded to each teacher's school. Applications must be submitted by November 14, 2008. For more information visit www.surdna.org.