Alex Abbott Wins 2013 Poetry Out Loud Championship
WHS Sophomore to Compete in Feb. 16 Districts at Joslyn
Launch the media gallery 1 playerSophomore Alex Abbott defeated ten other finalists to win the 2013 Wahoo High School Poetry Out Loud Championship, held in the Performance-Learning Center on Wednesday, February 3.
Abbott recited the poems: “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and “Sonnet XVIII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” by William Shakespeare.
Abbott narrowly defeated John Noonan in a tight competition. Jenna Becker captured the third place trophy, while Bailee Schubauer finished fourth, Lindsey Hartshorn, fifth, and Rachel Hrdlicka, sixth.
Other students who qualified for the school finals out of the eighty participants this year were Cole Peterson, Gabby Shannon, Destiny Williams, Janae Pearson, and Rachael Meyer.
Abbott will advance to the state regional, which will be held on Saturday, February 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Three students from the Omaha regional will qualify for the state finals on the UNL campus in Lincoln.
The winner of the state finals wins $200 and $500 for his/her school to buy poetry books, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on May 13-15. The state runner-up earns $100 and $200 for his/her school to purchase poetry books.
A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion.
The Omaha regional is open to the public and admission is free, so the Wahoo community is invited to support Alex in his bid to qualify for state.