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Eric Curran Earns Shot at Poetry Out Loud State Championship

WHS Senior Has Potential to Compete at Nationals in Washington, D.C.

by WHS Language Arts Instructor Larry Fangman on March 03, 2009

Eric Curran recites Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" at the March 1 Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition at Westside High School. Curran finished in the top three, and will compete at the March 14 State Championship.

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Eric Curran recites Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" at the March 1 Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition at Westside High School. Curran finished in the top three, and will compete at the March 14 State Championship.

Senior Eric Curran gave an awesome performance at the March 1 Poetry Out Loud Regional held at Westside High School in Omaha.

Curran’s performance placed him in the top three finishers, so he will advance to the State Championship in Lincoln on March 14.

At the regional competition, the three state qualifiers were announced, but their order of finish was not given. However, it is known that 34 students, all champions of their respective schools, competed at regional competitions, with only twelve students advancing to the state finals.

In the finals, each student will recite two poems, with the top four students then reciting a third poem, after which the state champion and first runner-up will be named. The state winner will receive $200 and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., (with an adult chaperone) to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books.

At the National Finals, the Nebraska winner will compete for $50,000 in scholarship awards and school stipends, with a $20,000 college scholarship award for the National Champion.

Curran will compete in the Poetry Out Loud State Championship on March 14 at the Sheldon Museum of Art, Abbott Auditorium, which is located at 12th & R Streets on the UNL Campus, Lincoln. The public is warmly invited to attend this free event and support Eric in his quest to win the championship and a trip to Washington!