Postponed: Poetry Out Loud State Championships
March 13, 2020
Dear Friends of Poetry Out Loud,
The New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud Championships for this Friday, March 13 is being postponed. Our goal will be to use our snow date of Monday, March 16 to host a virtual event where we can have real-time scoring by judges to determine our State Champion. Over the weekend, our staff will work with students and judges to get everyone prepared for this new platform.
Tonight, we still want to celebrate. Although we will not be in one large room, the arts can still bring us together.
We are inviting all students to join us virtually and share one of their recitations via Zoom video conference, which we will livestream on Facebook. This will be a great opportunity for students and judges to test sharing a recitation virtually. Specific instructions will be sent directly to students, teachers, and judges.
We will work with contractors to compensate for time that has already been invested in preparing for the event.
Thank you all for your patience as we monitor and weigh the growing concern over community transmission of COVID-19.
Challenges breed creativity.
Julianne
NH State House, Concord
March 13, 2020, 3:45-8pm (sign-ups open Feb 19, 7am)
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for High School students. The GSAs will be helping out at the NH State Championships. The students competing on March 10 have won the contest at their local schools, and the regional semi-finals. They are vying for a spot in the national championship in Washington, DC.
Event Hours
Shifts are available for the duration of the event on Friday, March 15 from 3:45pm through 8pm, depending on how long the competition runs.
Volunteer Duties will include door greeting, seating guests, assisting student competitors, and general support services. There is one job keeping an eye on the handicap entrance, this person may sit and bring a book.
We are mostly needed at the beginning of the event to help guests find their way through the State House, and then a couple of volunteers during the first intermission to help them find the restrooms. There are a few positions that will need to be staffed for the duration, but many volunteers will be able to watch at least some of the competition.
Job assignments will happen on-site before the event begins, and we will make sure to have you switch positions during the event so that everyone who wants to can watch some of the competition, and so that you’re not stuck in one place the whole time. We all shift positions every 45 minutes to keep it fun and interesting.
Event difficulty
Must be able to walk and stand for long periods, however, there are several periods between intermissions when you will be able to sit and rest.
Event Location
NH State House, 107 North Main St., Concord
We will meet near the front door/hallway of the State House.
Parking Info
Parking in the capital can be challenging, so we strongly encourage volunteers to carpool. There is metered parking on the streets around the State House, and the closest parking garages are on School St. and North State St.
The Storrs St. garage will be available if you’d like to park there, but we’ve never had trouble finding spots in the metered parking near the State House. Consider where you’d like to be walking when your shift ends at 8pm! Contact Emily for directions to the Storrs St. garage and instructions for parking there.
Event websites
National Poetry Out Loud Competition: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/
NH State Council of the Arts: https://www.nh.gov/nharts/programservices/POL/2020/index.html
Orientation
We will hold the event orientation from 4:30-4:45 p.m. immediately preceding the event. After the orientation, all volunteers will be provided with their starting locations for the event.
Dress code: GSA uniform (GSA shirt, khaki pants/skirt, name tag).
Food/Snacks
Please don’t eat while on duty. If you will need a snack during the event, you can bring something with you to eat during one of our breaks. Any snacks and drinks that are left out either in the green room or the hall are for competitors and judges. We will have a place to leave our coats and bags where you may go to eat if necessary. We strongly recommend that you eat before the event if possible.
Contact person for GSAs
Emily Goulet
emily@nhgsa.com
Kelly Bryer
(603) 960-0272
kelly@nhgsa.com
