Poetry Out Loud
Shawnee Mission North High School student wins Kansas Poetry Out Loud State Final Competition for second year
Casha Mills, junior at Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, and the 2010 Kansas Poetry Out Loud State Champion, has won the 2011 Kansas State Poetry Out Loud recitation competition.
The competition was held Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, and was presented by the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with the Kansas Association of Teachers of English.
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Casha Mills
2011 Kansas Poetry Out Loud State Champion |
As the state champion, Mills receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 25 and 26, in Washington, D.C. to compete for a $20,000 scholarship. In addition, the state champion’s school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.
Ms. Mills’ school activities include pep club, student council, dream team, forensic Key Club and Club YEAA. After graduation she would like to attend college and major in playwriting. She is the niece of Errol Cade, and the daughter of Trechia Gladney and Dennis Mills.
Susan Elder, junior at Northfield School of the Liberal Arts, Wichita, was named runner-up in the competition. As runner-up, Ms. Elder receives a cash donation to her school library. Her school activities include cross country, volleyball, basketball, drama, mixed ensemble, mural art apprenticeship and competitive art team. She is the daughter of Philip and Becky Elder.
The runner-up receives a cash donation to his or her school library.
Additional regional competition finalists were:
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Kari Bingham, senior at Smoky Valley High School, Smoky Valley. Her school activities include journalism, drama club and pep club. Bingham plans to attend Kansas State University and major in English. She is the daughter of Belinda Davis and Wesley Gould.
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Addie Johnson, junior at Quinter High School, Quinter. Her school activities include cross country, track, all-school plays, band, choir, forensics and Students Against Drunk Drivers. She plans to attend college and major in theatre education and performance. She is the daughter of Eric and Michele Johnson.
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Devany West, 9th grader at Southwest Junior High School, Lawrence. Her school activities include writing club, science club and band. Williams plans to attend high school and college in the future. She is the daughter of Craig West and Agnes Walsh.
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Allison Williams, senior at Ottawa High School, Ottawa. Her school activities include forensics, yearbook and wrestling. After graduation, Williams hopes to attend Northwestern University and study film or theatre. She is the daughter of Matt Williams.
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(l-r): Casha Mills, Susan Elder, Allison Williams,
Addie Williams, Kari Bingham, Devany West |
The Poetry Out Loud program encourages Kansas high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. The contest begins in the classroom where students select three poems from www.poetryoutloud.org to recite and compete for a spot at the regional competition. The regional winners compete at the state level; the state winner travels to Washington, D.C. to compete nationally.
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