Chelsea Anokye-Agyei to Represent Delaware in 2019 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington
Hodgson Vo-Tech senior to advance to National Finals in Washington, DC
Smyrna, Del. (February 26, 2019) – From an initial field of 20 Delaware high school students and then twelve state finalists, Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, a senior from Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, earned the title of 2019 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held in Smyrna, Del. on Feb. 26. The first runner-up was Samuel McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical School and the second runner-up was Sarah Stevenson from Milford Senior High School.
Anokye-Agyei’s final recitation, “The Albatross” by Kate Bass, earned her high marks with the judges. The full poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation’s website.
For her winning presentation, Anokye-Agyei will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington with a chaperone to compete at the national championship on April 29 – May 1. Hodgson Vo-Tech High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Samuel McGarvey, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Tall Oaks Classical School will receive $200 for its school library.
The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.
| Name | School |
| Landon Hayes | Cape Henlopen High School |
| Jo Griffin | Concord High School |
| Emma Elliott* | Dover High School |
| Chelsea Anokye-Agyei* | Hodgson Vo-Tech High School |
| Amy Garcia-Perez | Indian River High School |
| Tyler Keeler | Laurel Senior High School |
| Sarah Stevenson* | Milford Senior High School |
| Nadia Sheikh* | MOT Charter High School |
| Daniel Patrick Johnson* | Mount Sophia Academy |
| Megan Chen* | Newark Charter High School |
| Ashton Driver* | Red Lion Christian Academy |
| Anne Rosenthal* | Sanford School |
| Alex Dornenburg | Seaford Senior High School |
| Liliana Yenovkian | Sussex Academy of the Arts & Sciences |
| Brandon Greenlee* | Sussex Central High School |
| Charmaine Pasicolan | St. Mark’s High School |
| Samuel McGarvey* | Tall Oaks Classical School |
| Catherine Enslen* | Ursuline Academy |
| Mariela Rivero* | Wilmington Christian School |
| James Tallman | Wilmington Friends School |
All photos should be credited with – Photo Credit: Joe del Tufo
About the Delaware Division of the Arts The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278. Image: 2018 Award Winners exhibition at the Biggs Museum. Painting (right) by Thomas del Porte, 2018 Established Professional, Visual Arts: painting
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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing 302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov
