BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Buckhannon-Upshur High School (B-UHS) announces the winners of the school contest, Poetry Out Loud. The student winners are Haley Butcher, Mya Critchfield, Emma McGill, Josh Johnston, Anna Grace Lantz, Ryan Dowell, and Heather Hayes. 

Poetry Out Loud—presented in partnership with the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, National Endowment for the Arts, and Poetry Foundation—is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Since the program began in 2005, more than four million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. On November 17, 2021, our high school students participated in the Poetry Out Loud contest.  

At B-UHS, students recited works selected from an anthology of more than 1,100 poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy. The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation have created free, standards-based curriculum materials to support Poetry Out Loud including a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, an online anthology, posters, and video and audio on the art of recitation.

These resources are available for free at PoetryOutLoud.org.  

Haley Butcher will advance to the West Virginia State Poetry Out Loud contest on March 11 and 12, 2022. The West Virginia champion will receive $200 and will advance to the national finals next spring where $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be distributed. The representing school or organization of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for their school or organization.

The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.