East TN Student Charlotte Bollschweiler Wins 2024 TN Poetry Out Loud Contest
From Tennessee Arts Commission –
NASHVILLE —The 2024 Tennessee Poetry Out Loud (POL) champion is Charlotte Bollschweiler, a senior at Clayton-Bradley Academy in Maryville. The competition was held on Saturday, March 2, at the Nashville Children’s Theatre. Charlotte was first runner-up in last year’s competition and second runner-up in 2022. She is very involved in the arts. As a member of the Appalachian Ballet Company, she has performed several lead roles over the years. She plans to study art at Maryville College this fall.
“I think that the Poetry Out Loud competition has a big sense of community – especially between the competitors,” said Charlotte Bollschweiler, “Because we’re all here under a common purpose.”
Saturday’s statewide competition featured 18 finalists from across Tennessee. Over 1,000 students and 60 teachers participated in the program this year. Charlotte as the state champion will participate in the National Semifinals, with the top nine students advancing to the National Finals to be held April 30th -May 2nd in Washington, D.C. Charlotte will receive awards from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Poetry Foundation.
“Tennessee’s Poetry Out Loud program equips students with public speaking mastery, self-confidence, and a deeper understanding of our literary heritage,” said TN Arts Commission Chair Mary Kilbride. “We applaud all the teachers and students who dedicated themselves to this year’s program.”
Ephraim Sorrell a junior from the Webb School of Knoxville is first runner-up. Sorrell will receive an award and his school will receive stipends for the purchase of poetry books and supplies. Kristian Marchand from Bartlett High School is the second runner-up and Ava Brown from Harding Academy of Memphis is the third runner-up. They will also receive awards. Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 to students and schools at the National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.
“Research shows participating in Poetry Out Loud offers many benefits. For example, students learn to analyze, memorize, and interpret poetry, which supports them in their English Language Arts courses but also in other academic subjects like history and science where writing and analytical skills are equally important,” said Anne B. Pope, Executive Director of the TN Arts Commission. “On behalf of the Commission, we congratulate all of the students who participated in Poetry Out Loud and wish Charlotte the best as she represents Tennessee at the National competition next month.”
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Nashville Children’s Theatre, presented POL 2024. The program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry, recitation and performance, building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form.
Photos of the event: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgAht
