Hawaii High School National Poetry Recitation State Champion

High school students from across the islands competed in the statewide finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest at Tenney Theatre, home of Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY).

Returning State champion, Nicholas Amador (11th grade), of Punahou School will once again represent the state of Hawaii at the 2017 National Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington DC. Nicholas won first place Sunday afternoon at the state finals performing: Dover Beach, by Matthew Arnold; Lions, by Sandra McPherson; Windy City, by Stuart Dybek. Nicholas was awarded $200 check from the National Endowment for the Arts, and his school received a $500 stipend for poetry books. In addition, Nicholas, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip with chaperone to Washington, DC, to compete in the National Finals, April 25-26, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed. Nicholas, represented the state and took third place in the 2016 National Finals in Washington, DC, last May.

Second place winner is 12th grader, Tiffany Kanoa, of Mid-Pacific Institute. Tiffany performed: The Albatross, by Kate Bass; Zacuanpapalotls, by Brenda Cárdenas; The Passionate Shepherd To His Love, by Christopher Marlowe. Tiffany was awarded a check for $100 from the NEA and her school received a $200 stipend for poetry books.

Poetry Out Loud is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and administered in Hawaii by HTY and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

About Honolulu Theatre for Youth

Honolulu Theatre for Youth is Hawaii's non-profit professional theatre company

providing theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of Hawaii's young people and families. Founded in 1955, HTY is recognized the world over as one of America's most honored theatres. Explore HTY on the web at www.htyweb.org.