SHS Junior- Thomas Bosmeniel Wins Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest to Represent Seward High at Regional Contest
Seward High Junior, Thomas Bosmeniel, captured the local Poetry Out Loud poetry recitation contest First Place award reciting from memory the poem “Battle Hymn” by Julia Ward Howe. He won over 46 other students to now represent SHS at the state regional contest in February in Kearney at the Museum of Art. The first runner-up in the contest was Ryan Wall, SHS Sophomore with the poem “300 Goats” by Naomi Shihab Nye, Second Runner-Up was awarded to Tayor Brodecky with her presentation “Testimonial” by Rita Dove. First place-Outstanding Freshman presenter was awarded to Madalyn Lobmeyer-“Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser , First Place in Sophomores was presented to Abigail Bales with “Pippi Longstocking” by Sandra Simonds, First Place of the Juniors was presented to Katryna Rukas with her presentation “”And Soul” by Evan Boland, and First Place for Seniors went to Andrew Pavel with his presentation “So This Is Nebraska” by Ted Kooser. The contest was held at the SHS new theater on Monday evening, December 5 at 7:00 pm and was sponsored locally by the Seward Arts Council and School District of Seward High Ability Learner Program (HAL). The winners all received engraved medals and blue and gold neck ribbons, donated by the Seward Arts Council
The students each selected their own poem to memorize from the 800 offered on the website of Poetry Out Loud. The contest is sponsored and funded by the National Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts on the national level and the Nebraska Arts Council on the state level-under the coordination of Anne Alston. Locally, Clark Kolterman serves as the coordinator and teacher sponsor for the event. Aclaimed actress and author, Pippa White of the Nebraska Arts Council served as the visiting artist for the Seward Schools to assist and prepare the students for the contest.
The students were required to memorize their poem and present it to the audience using a microphone and a spot light on the main stage in the new theater. Teacher and sponsor Clark Kolterman served as the Emcee, assisted by Riley Nuttleman with the lighting and as the ballot runner. Mrs. Pam Franck and Mrs. Kyle Hinkle served as the official tab room coordinators.
Judges for the event were Melissa Pohl, new Freshman English Instructor at Seward High School, Nancy Schulz-East Butler High School, Sue Imig- retired educator of the Seward School District and Concordia University Sophomore from Bay City, Michigan-Josiah Schultz, an English, Director of Christian Education and Theology Major.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation program, sponsored by the National Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts-featuring scholarships on the state and national levels, along with trips to Washington, DC for each state representative. One student will be selected this evening to represent Seward High at the regional contests in the spring, where they will present two poems of choice from the 800+poems on the Poetry Out Loud website at a regional at Kearney, Norfolk or Omaha, and hopefully qualify for the State Contest in March in Lincoln!
Contestants participating in the contest included……
- Mitchell Hochstein- “El Dorado”- Edgar Allen Poe
- Mikayla Rudebusch- “The Art Room”- Shara McCallum
- Rannon Borges-Lyons- “Across The Bay”- Donald Davie
- Joelle Dieckhoff- “Keeping Things Whole”- Mark Strand
- Kylyn Clawson- “Katrina”- Patricia Smith
- Jacobi King- “Choices”- Tess Gallagher
- Janel Robertson- “Yellowtail”- Mary Morris
- Madison Geidel- “The Day”- Geoffrey Brock
- Lindsay Flesner- “Then and Now”- Tom Clark
- Garrett Kuss- “Arrow and the Song”- Henry Longfellow
- Jax Johnson- “Analysis of Baseball”- May Swenson
- Caleb Meyer- “Fire and Ice”- Robert Frost
- Zandra Miller- “The Affliction of Richard”- Robert Bridges
- Kiernan Baker- “Battlefield”- Mark Turcotte
- Sydney Erickson- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”- Robert Frost
- Vicki Radke- “Rain”- Kazim Ali
- Abigail Bales- “Pippi Longstocking”- Sandra Simonds
- Cody Fry- “Danse Russe”- William Carlos Williams
- Andrew Pavel- “So This is Nebraska”- Ted Kooser
- Brogan Fehlhafer- “Oh Artic God”- Lucille Clifton
- Peyton Davis Schmit- “Entirely”- Louis MacNiece
- Macie Spotanski- “Makin’ Jump Shots”- Michael S. Harper
- Jacob Spidell- “Catch a Little Rhyme”- Eve Merriam
- Jack Yelden- “300 Goats”- Naomi Shihab Nye
- Cayden Glandt- “I Hear America Singing”- Walt Whitman
- Max Peery- “Across The Bay”- Donald Davie
- Sam Briggs- “History”- Camille Rankine
- Chase Prochnow- “End of the World”- Dana Gioia
- Katryna Rukas- “And Soul”- Evan Boland
- John Hurley- “In the Desert”- Stephen Crane
- Amanda Jensen- “Mrs. Adam”- Kathleen Norris
- Destiny Fuentes-“Inhospitible” –Emily Perez
- Nana Abenaa Wright- “BLK History Month”- Nikki Giovanni
- Dylan Pool-Haussler- “Barber”- Larry Bradley
- Kiona Coe- “Life in Love”- Robert Browning
- Kaleb Wunderlich- “They Flee From Me”- Thomas Wyatt
- Rachel Sierra- “Catch a Little Rhyme”- Eve Merriam
- Ryan Wall- “300 Goats”- Naomi Shihab Nye
- Brady Smith-“Fire and Ice”-Robert Frost
- Madalyn Lobmeyer-“Abandoned Farmhouse” –Ted Kooser
- Tirey Bearup-“Lazy”-David Yezzi
- Taylor Brodecky-“Testimonial”-Rita Dove
- John Myers- “In Flander’s Fields”- John Macrae
- Gillian Daniel-“April Love”-Ernest Dowson
- Bailey Mooney-“The Otherside of this World”-Calvin Fobres
- Grace Orwen-“American Smooth” Rita Dove
- Thomas Bosmeniel- “Battle Hymn”- Julia Ward Howe
Thomas Bosmeniel will now represent Seward High at the Poetry Out Loud Regional Contest and is required to present two poetry selections. From the regional event, the top third of the entries are selected to compete at the State Contest for Poetry Out Loud in Lincoln in March at the Sheldon Art Gallery.