This week the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) announced the winner of the 2019 Poetry Out Loud state competition. Alejandro Campo, a junior at Flowery Branch High School in Flowery Branch, Ga., took home the first place prize at the state finals. Campo will represent Georgia at the national finals in Washington, D.C., April 29-May 1.

“Poetry Out Loud creates meaningful opportunities for high school students across the country to not only engage with exceptional works of poetry, but also to foster critical public speaking skills that are essential for success in a myriad of industries and careers,” said Karen Paty, Executive Director of Georgia Council for the Arts. “GCA is exceptionally proud of every Georgia student that takes the stage in this program, and we are grateful to our partners at the National Endowment for the Arts and the Atlanta History Center for providing our students this opportunity to shine.”

Poetry Out Loud is a national program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation which encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization and recitation of the written word. Georgia's Poetry Out Loud champion receives $200 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). His school will also be presented with a $500 certificate that will go toward new books. The Poetry Out Loud runner-up, Kamryn Jones, a junior at DeKalb School of the Arts in Avondale Estates, Ga., receives $100 from the NEA, and $200 for new books for her school.

“Poetry Out Loud was an incredibly enriching experience,” said Campo. “Having the opportunity to hear magnificent student orators, collaborate with phenomenal competitors, and learn from breathtaking and beautiful performances was an invaluable experience. I am eager and excited to have the honor of representing Georgia at the National Competition, and I know I will learn and grow even more through this amazing and unique program.”

Started in 2005 as a pilot program in Chicago and Washington, D.C., Poetry Out Loud has grown to involve millions of students from across the country.

This is the 11th year that the Atlanta History Center's Margaret Mitchell House has been selected by Georgia Council for the Arts to coordinate the state's Poetry Out Loud competition. Georgia's participation included:

76 schools in 38 counties

Over 7,100 students

431 teachers

“Poetry Out Loud is a great way to bring poetry and art into the classrooms across our state,” said Emily Cobb, Poetry Out Loud state coordinator at the Atlanta History Center. “The program enables high school students to learn about poetry in a different way that encourages building critical thinking skills and confidence. It’s also fun and interactive, which is part of what the Atlanta History Center’s mission of reaching out to the community is all about.”