Student goes on to national contest

Charleston County School of the Arts student Lauren DiNicola will represent South Carolina in a national poetry recitation contest.

DiNicola beat 10 state finalists to go on to the nation's capital April 24 to compete in Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Students master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage while gaining an appreciation of poetry.

Last year more than 200,000 students in all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands took part in the competition, seeking $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends that go to national winners.

At the state finals, each student recited three poems they had memorized and perfected during school and regional competitions. As state champion, DiNicola will receive $200 plus an all-expense paid trip to the national finals in Washington. The School of the Arts library also will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.

Shannon Laribo from Ashley Hall was named state runner-up. She will receive $100, and her school's library will receive a $200 poetry book stipend.