Paso Robles student wins countywide ‘Poetry Out Loud’ competition
Blair Bishop.
Bishop will now move on to the Poetry Out Loud State Competition
– Blair Bishop, a 9th grader from Paso Robles High School, has been named the 2023 SLO County First Place Poetry Out Loud Champion. The SLO County Arts Council selected Bishop after evaluating video submissions from the best performers from each of the six participating county high schools. Bishop earned the top county spot after delivering outstanding performances of “I Was Once a Child” by Victoria Chang and “You, If No One Else” by Tino Villanueva.
The video submissions were judged by three SLO Arts judges who evaluated the performances based on memory, poise, voice, and “dramatic appropriateness.” The judges said they were impressed by the student performances and engagement, and they credited the committed teachers and student poets for keeping the event alive.
In order to advance to the Poetry Out Loud county level, students must first be judged as “Best of School” in competitions held on their respective campuses in December and January. The SLO County Arts Council estimates that nearly 1,000 county students each year memorize poems and attempt to fulfill the judging standards of the national Poetry Out Loud effort.
Bishop earned the top PRHS spot on January 25, 2023, after performing with 30 other PRHS contestants from all grade levels. Four PRHS English teachers scored the performers, who delivered memorized poems under stage lights and before an enthusiastic audience in the school’s performing arts center. English teachers Alicia Witman, Sarah Ramirez, Jeff Mount, Aaron Cantrell, Marissa Scoggins, and Sophia Anderson guided both the event and the scores of student performers.
Bishop will now move on to the Poetry Out Loud State Competition, where three video submissions are due in early March. The California Poetry Out Loud Champion will be announced after video judging on March 19, 2023. The state champion will be invited to compete in the National Poetry Out Loud competition in person in Washington, DC, on May 8-10, 2023.
Blair Bishop, “I Was Once a Child:”
Blair Bishop, “You, If No One Else:”
SLO CO Arts 2023 compilation:
Poetry Out Loud 2023 from SLO County Arts on Vimeo.
