Published: February 08, 2006 03:46 pm      

Recitation is poetry to students' ears

System-wide contest winners advance to district competition

It was a day of remarkable poetry reciting action on January 12 when the Butts County School System held its annual Poetry Recitation Program. The students couldn’t stop rhyming, and the audience had a good time in the Rufus Adams Auditorium at Jackson Elementary School.

Last month, all three elementary school held school-wide poetry recitation contest between winners chosen from each classroom. The winners in each grade level went head-to-head and stanza-by-stanza last week in front of three judges who chose who would represent Butts County at the district level.

Dr. Sheree Bryant acted as emcee for the event, calling each contestant to the stage and explaining the rules to the audience of parents, grandparents and poetry fans. Judges for the event were Lisa Shelley, a retired Professional learning coordinator; Dick Corbin, a retired professor from Georgia Tech and chairman of the Friends of the Library in Butts County; and Dr. Denise Lemares, a counselor at Henderson Middle School.

The students were judged based on their knowledge of the poem they recited, their ability to project their voices, display the proper emotions in the poems, and use of expressions and body language on stage to bring the poem to life.

In the kindergarten competition, Myette Crawford of Daughtry Elementary School won for reciting “Little Miss Muffet.” Second place went to Rustin Starker of North Mulberry Elementary School for “Katie Kissed Me,” and Spencer Mitchell of Jackson Elementary School took third place for “Going to Bed.”

In the first grade, Ramirra Marshall of JES for reciting “Whale of a Tale.” Second place went to Kaylee Townsend of NMES for “Cool It, Mom,” and Joba Duke of DES took third place with “Terrible Dream.”

Kellsie Slauson of DES won the second grade competition for reciting “Chocolate Maniac.” Second place honors went to Hannah Darnell of JES for “Little Orphan Annie,” and third place went to Griffin Fletcher of NMES for “Casey at the Bat.”

In the third grade, Kallie Earnhart of NMES won for “Flossing Grandpa Style.” DES student Ariel Newman took second place for “The Spider and the Fly,” and Gabrielle Hall of JES was third for “Smart.”

NMES student Megan Conley won the fourth grade competition for reciting “Rachel Robin.” Sami Kirkland of JES came in second for “A Mortifying Mistake,” and Abby Robinson of DES came in third for “The Village Blacksmith.”

And in the fifth grade, Skyler Earnhart from NMES took first place for reciting the poem “Television.” Amelia Duke of JES took second place for “Willie Worm,” and Karlie Earnhart of DES came in third with the poem “Clear As Mud.”

The audience was also treated to two drama presentations. Sharon Turner’s class from DES presented a reader’s theater of “The Emperor’s New Hair.” Claire Darnell’s reading class from JES presented “The House is on Fire.” Darnell’s class will go on to district competition.

Winners of the Ready Writer Competition were also announced. Gabrielle Hall of JES won in the third grade. Asjia Stewart of DES won the fourth grade competition. And Alicia Duke of NMES won in the fifth grade category. All three will represent Butts County at the Griffin RESA Literacy Day on February 8.

Following the presentation of awards, contestants and audience members were enjoyed delicious refreshments in the lobby of the auditorium.