The Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud competition encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program provides students with the opportunity to perform poetry in English classes. Modeled after the National Spelling Bee, students start by competing in their local schools. Winners then progress to regional and state competitions, with state winners competing at the national level. Poetry Out Loud was launched nationwide in 2006.
For the second consecutive year, Eden Getahun from C. K. McClatchy High School (Sacramento City USD), has won the Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud competition. She took first place during the Sacramento County finals, which were conducted virtually this year. Noramon Ransibrahmanakul, from Mira Loma High School (San Juan USD), is the Sacramento County runner-up.
Participants in the county competition recorded videos of their presentations, which were scored by a panel of judges. The winners were announced during a celebration held by video conference.
Sacramento County’s Poetry Out Loud program is supported by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), California Poets in the Schools, and the Poetry Foundation. This activity is funded by the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.