Two Columbus students are among 14 from high schools around Indiana who will participate in the Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Finals today in Indianapolis.
Austin Menefee of Columbus Signature Academy New Tech and Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri of Columbus North High School will take part in the finals at 1:30 p.m. today at the Indiana Government Center Conference Center.
The state champion receives a $200 cash prize and the champion’s school receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. Each student winner receives a handmade trophy created by textile artist Emily Bennett of Terre Haute.
The State Champion will also represent Indiana at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, where the National Champion will be awarded $20,000.
Poetry Out Loud is a national partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Since 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and Indiana Arts Commission have worked with Indiana schools, teachers, and organizations to bring students a unique way to learn and love poetry. Through Poetry Out Loud, students read, memorize, and recite classic and contemporary poems.
