Hope Stratman of Skutt Catholic Named Poetry Out Loud State Champion
(Omaha, Nebraska) – Hope Stratman, a senior at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha was named the 2018 Poetry Out Loud Nebraska State Champion. This is the third time that Skutt Catholic High School and instructor Sherri Hoye have sent a student to the national finals since the program began 13 years ago. Stratman, along with 15 other students from high schools across the state, competed for the title on Sunday, March 11, at the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln. Maggie Harris of Thayer Central Community Schools (Hebron) was named first runner-up, and Ashley Dye of St. Patrick High School (North Platte) was named second runner-up.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. All Nebraska state finalists advanced through their school and regional competitions to compete in Saturday’s event. At the competition, finalists recited works selected from an anthology of more than 900 classic and contemporary poems, and winners were chosen based on a set of criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding and accuracy.
Stratman will receive $200 and an all-expense paid trip with an adult chaperone to compete for the national championship in Washington D.C. April 23-25. Her school will also receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. Harris will receive $100 and a $200 stipend for her school library. The top three students each received original hand-blown glass trophies courtesy of Nebraskans for the Arts, and all state finalists received poetry books donated by the Nebraska Writers Collective and the Backwaters Press.
Poetry Out Loud, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation, will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends at the national competition, including a $20,000 scholarship for the national winner. Over the past 13 years, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 3 million students and 45,000 teachers from 10,000 schools nationwide.
About the Nebraska Arts Council
The Nebraska Arts Council (NAC), a state agency, provides numerous grants, services and special initiatives that help sustain and promote the arts throughout Nebraska. NAC is supported by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Nebraska Legislature and National Endowment for the Arts.
###
