Update:

Leon County Riley Kerz won Honorable Mention but Buchholz High School's Daniel Mitchell took home the first place title. He will now advance to the National Poetry Outloud Finals in Washington D.C.

The following is a press release:

Tallahassee, Florida – The Poetry Out Loud State Recitation Finals will be held on Saturday, March 13 beginning at 11:00 A.M. at Heritage Hall, in the R.A. Gray Building, Tallahassee. Students representing 42 Florida high schools will meet in competition to determine the 2010 Florida Poetry Out Loud State Champion, administered by the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Thousands of students from across the state participated in the 2010 Florida Poetry Out Loud competitions at their local high schools. Winners of these preliminary events will participate in the State Recitation Finals.

Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.

“The students spend hours preparing for the finals,” said Sandy Shaughnessy, Director of the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. “Watching this diverse group of students display their talent and share their love of poetry is both impressive and inspiring. The event demonstrates passion and kindles lifelong learning in the arts.”

Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. For further information regarding Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

The Florida state winner will win an all-expense paid trip to complete the Poetry Out Loud national finals in Washington, D.C. Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends at the National Finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

The Division of Cultural Affairs is Florida’s legislatively designated state arts agency. The Division promotes the arts and culture as essential to quality of life for all Floridians. To achieve its mission, the Division funds and supports cultural programs that provide artistic excellence, diversity, education, access and economic vitality for Florida’s communities. To learn more about the Division and its programs, visit www.florida-arts.org.

Student Contestants

Greg Salazar, Jr. A. Crawford Mosley High School

Sarah Davis Academy of the Holy Names

Winnie Shao Allen D. Nease High School

Alex Angotti Atlantic Technical Center High School

Ladyrose Garcia Bayside High

Jonathan Vann Belleview High School

Almexis Soncire Marrero Bronson High School

Daniel Mitchell Buchholz High School

Patrick Delva Cardinal Mooney High School

Karina Sanchez Clewiston High School

Luana Peixoto Coral Shores High School

Isabella DeSendi Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Daniel McGowan First Academy, The

Allyson Lewis Harrison School for the Arts

Alexis Welcome Howard W. Blake School of the Arts

Juan Torres Ida S. Baker High School

Lucinda Howard Jones High School

Miranda Hanson Lawton Chiles High School

Riley Kerz Leon High School

Mary Kathryn King Maclay School

William Clark Marathon High School

Paola Ocanto McArthur High School

Kesley Richardson Middleburg High School

Savannah Hillebrand New Gate School

Marlee Kula North Broward Preparatory School

Lisa Gayle Hamman North Fort Myers High School

Andrew Murphy Paxton High School

Amy Stockton Pine View School for the Gifted

Angeline Charles Ridge Community High School

Ariel Ryals-Trammell Sail High School

Megan Leanne Vitale Seminole High School

Lynnette Santiago South Lake High School

Laura Henning Spruce Creek High School

Autumn Denmark Suwannee High School

Lacie Perry T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High School

Brynna Wright Tavares High School

Charity Clement Thomas Jefferson High School

Caretta McConnal Village Academy

Alyssa Padgett Walton High School

Jalisa Cyril Paramore Wekiva High School

Rebecca E. Garrett Wellington High School

Jillian Christina Smith West Nassau High School

Shatyra Hall William T. McFatter Technical High School

Vanessa Nguyen Winter Park High School