VHS Clements Selected As Poetry Out Loud State Finalist

Vidalia High School Junior Jada Clements has been selected as a state finalist for the 2021-2022 Poetry Out Loud Contest. The Georgia State Finals will be a live virtual event that will take place on March 13, 2022, at the Atlanta History Center.

Clements is the seventeen- year-old daughter of Kristian Clements and GeJuan Clements. She is an active member of Beta Club, National Honor Society, and Writers Incorporated. In addition, she has performed with the awardwinning One-Act Play cast and crew for the last two years. After graduation, she has plans to attend college, become a pediatric nurse, and/or pursue a degree in Psychology. The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation initiative, Poetry Out Loud, is offered in all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The program is organized at the local level by schools or organizations, and coordinators have access to a free teacher’s guide and an online anthology of classic and contemporary poetry. With more than 1,100 poems in the anthology, students gain an understanding of the breadth of poetry while having the freedom to discover poems with which they feel a connection. As students participate in Poetry Out Loud, not only do they develop a deeper appreciation for poetry, they also improve their analytical skills while building self-confidence and public speaking

skills. Poetry Out Loud begins with an area organization at the classroom/school or the local level. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition and ultimately to the National Finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by the judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria. Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to Washington, DC, to compete at the National Finals. The state winners representing schools or organizations will receive $500 for poetry materials. One runner-up in each state will receive $100; their school/organization will receive $200 to purchase poetry materials. A total of $50,000 in awards or organizational stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion.