Three upstate finalists and one alternate were named at the Poetry Out Loud Regional Finals held at Spartanburg Community College Downtown Campus.
Jamie Montagne of Spartanburg Day School, Daniella Ramirez of Indian Land High School, and Wade Wright of South Pointe High School will compete at the State Finals in Columbia in May. Alexandra Tkach of York Preparatory Academy will serve as alternate.
The state winner will receive $200 and an all expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to compete in the National finals and the state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry books.
Last year South Carolina’s State Finalist, Joshua Mugabe, a student from York Preparatory Academy, represented the Upstate in the 2015 National Competition.
The ten finalists on Saturday’s competition represented ten separate schools from the Upstate region. Judges Derrick Austin and Kimberly Simms scored competitors on poise and performance, and Tim Marsh served as accuracy judge.
Congratulations to all our competitors and best of luck to the finalists!