DAKOTA VALLEY STUDENT WILL REPRESENT SD AT NATIONAL FINALS

PIERRE, S.D. – Next week, Grace Powell, a junior at Dakota Valley High School in North Sioux City, SD, will take the national stage at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.

Powell won first place at South Dakota’s Poetry Out Loud state contest, which earned her the opportunity to compete among 54 high school students from across the country in Washington, D.C. for the national title.

Poetry Out Loud is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and state arts agencies. The program is sponsored and coordinated by the South Dakota Arts Council at the state level. Poetry Out Loud encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students giving students an opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self‐confidence and learn about their literary heritage.

On Tuesday, May 9, the state champions will compete throughout the day in three semifinal rounds organized by region. Powell will compete in semifinal 3, at 5 pm EDT. The top nine finalists (three from each semi-final round) will advance to the final round on Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. EDT.

These events are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required. Both days of competition will also be available through a live, one-time-only webcast at http://arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud. More information about the program is available at https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2023/poetry-out-loud-national-finals.

An office of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council’s mission is to provide grants and services to artists, arts organizations and schools across the state, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the state of South Dakota. The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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