Italy Whitehead, a junior from Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy in Elizabeth, was named State Champion at the 2022 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud (NJPOL) State Finals competition, part of the National Poetry Out Loud recitation program. The virtual adjudication took place on March 1st, and a compilation video broadcast the following day on the NJPOL YouTube channel.
Italy will represent New Jersey at the National Finals and compete against champions from 55 states and territories. All participants will compete for the national title and the chance to win prizes including college scholarships.
POL is a national poetry recitation program through which students learn to perform great works of classical and contemporary poetry. The State Finals is the culmination of a statewide contest that began in the fall and included over 8,000 New Jersey students from 47 high schools across the state. Students competed first at the classroom and school level, and then at the regional level to determine the 10 finalists who would move on to the State competition.
Abigail Schwartz, a junior from Ramsey High School, earned the title of State Runner-Up.
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in collaboration with Count Basie Center for the Arts. National Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States. Additional support for NJPOL is provided by ArtPride NJ Foundation and local partners.
Following is a list of the ten student finalists:
Najvir Dhinju, Vineland High School
Victoria King, Rancocas Valley Regional High School
Marliza Mabutas, William L. Dickinson High School
Hannah Ortiz-Strauss, Cinnaminson High School
Mylee Shultz, Oakcrest High School
Abigail Schwartz, Ramsey High School
Dhriti Somas, Northern Valley Regional at Old Tappan
Lydia Smith, Henry Hudson Regional School
Italy Whitehead, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy
Samantha Yannarelli, Mater Dei Prep
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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