Lawton High School Student Wins Poetry Out Loud State Title at UCO

March 10, 2023

Media Contact: Sandra Kent, Executive Director, Oklahoma A+ Schools at UCO, 405-974-3779, skent@uco.edu 

Lawton High School Student Wins Poetry Out Loud State Title at UCO

AdyLynn Anderson, a high school student from Lawton, Oklahoma, won the title of 2023 Poetry Out Loud Oklahoma State Champion. Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute (OKA+) at the University of Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Arts Council hosted the state finals for the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, March 7.

The competition, presented in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition.

“OKA+ is honored to have been awarded the oversite of the Oklahoma Poetry Out Loud competition again this year,” said Sandra Kent, executive director of Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute at UCO.

“This is certainly an opportunity to ignite learning, as the students dig into classic poetry and showcase their confidence in presenting the spoken word.”

Jamie Smothers a high school student from Oologah High School in Oologah, Oklahoma, was runner-up and received $100, with $200 for their school. Rounding out the top-five students were Lanie Green of Byng High School in Byng, Oklahoma; Hannah Myers of Coweta High School in Coweta, Oklahoma; and, Sarah Wheatley of Bethany High School in Bethany, Oklahoma.

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. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a schoolwide competition, then to the state competition and ultimately to the national finals.

For more information, contact Kent at 405-974-3779, skent@uco.edu or visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

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Editor's Note: Download art associated with this release at https://media.uco.edu/press/uploads/2023/03/poetry-out-loud.jpg

Cutline: AdyLynn Anderson, a high school student from Lawton, Oklahoma, won the title of 2023 Poetry Out Loud Oklahoma State Champion, March 7, hosted by the Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute (OKA+) at the University of Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Arts Council. Pictured, left to right, Amber Sharples, executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council; Anderson; and, Sandra Kent, executive director of Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute at UCO.