ARTSCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) is excited to announce Serena Scheiner (grade 11) from Miramonte High School as our Poetry Out Loud Contra Costa County Champion!
On February 7th, we held the Contra Costa County Poetry Out Loud competition at the Pinole Valley High School Theatre in Pinole. Patrick Paul Porpayas (grade 12) from Mt. Diablo High School won second-place and David Scott (grade 11) won third place from Independence High School.
The County Finals included impressive high school champions: Hussna Kabiri (Deer Valley High School, grade 12), Brooke Kay (San Ramon Valley High School, grade 10), and Benicio Saballos (Pinole Valley High School, grade 9). The first-place winner received a $200 gift card, second-place $100, and third place $50. Each student received a gift bag and a $25 gift card.
The first-place winner, Serena Scheiner is a 17-year-old nationally recognized public speaker who adores advocacy. Her Poetry YouTube Channel PoetSerena and poetry book, Anxiety is My Husband have inspired teenage girls to pursue their Dreams of writing and speaking. Her performances of the poems The Butterfly by Pavel Friedmann and Fire and Ice by Robert Frost proved to be a winning combination! On March 8th, Serena will compete in the Poetry Out Loud State Finals in Sacramento where students recite 2 poems. Shortly afterwards, the California State Winner will be announced on California Arts Council email, internet, and social media. Congratulations to Serena!
Our runner up was Patrick Paul Porpayas. Throughout his life, Patrick has always been around art. He’s always wanted to be an artist through music or literature. However, his future is in teaching English or history. Patrick will serve as an alternate at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals in Sacramento in the case that Serena is unable to compete.
The Poetry Out Loud team consists of Brennan DeFrisco (Poetry Out Loud Coordinator), Robin Moore (School
Competition Coordinator), José Cordón (Coach), Esther Rojas Soto (ARTSCCC Program, Marketing & Community Outreach Manager), Pooya Berahmandi (Program Coordinator), and Jenny Balisle (ARTSCCC Executive Director). County competition judges included Nava Mizrahhi, Donté Clark, Jaz Sufi, Monique McCoy, Tajanique Bell, and Jeremy Phillips.
The Accuracy Judge was Robin Moore and Brad Krebs was the County Competition Tabulator. The competition had
special poetry performances by José Cordón and Brennan DeFrisco.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud provides free online materials including a poetry anthology, a comprehensive teacher’s guide, videos of student performances, lesson plans, and promotional and media resources.
All Contra Costa County High School students, grades 9-12, are invited to enter Poetry Out Loud. School winners advance to the County competition each February, then the State competition in March, and ultimately to the National Finals.
