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Winners of Higher Achievement’s City-Wide Youth Poetry Contest Perform Love Poems for Valentine’s Day
Washington, DC – January 31, 2006 – Winners of a city-wide poetry competition for middle school students will perform their original love poems on Wednesday, February 8, to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Higher Achievement, a year-round academic enrichment and high school preparatory program, sponsored the poetry contests, which included more than 100 participants from around the area. The contests were judged by panels of published poets, teachers, and mentors. The Valentine’s program will feature readings from the winning students and renowned poet and Wellesley professor Ifeanyi A. Menkiti. Mr. Menkiti recently published his third volume of poetry, entitled Of Altair, the Bright Light, which won awards from the National Endowment of the Arts and was highlighted on National Public Radio.
"The insight, passion, and acumen of our scholars impresses me every day, and is so evident in their poetry," said Higher Achievement’s Executive Director, Maureen Holla. "This event highlights the very best poets in Washington, and they are all under the age of 14!"
Sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation, the love poem event is the culmination of months of preparation. Higher Achievement scholars studied the writings of well-known authors, such as Paul Dunbar, Rosario Morales, and Robert Browning, during the fall semester. They explored language styles, literary devices, and poetic structures. After ample study and practice of these techniques, winners of the Higher Achievement poetry contests have the opportunity to showcase their literary talents at the Valentine’s Day celebration. The event is also part of a series of events that will honor Higher Achievement’s 30th anniversary of providing academic enrichment and mentoring services to Washington DC’s middle school students. The organization recently purchased and renovated a building that will becomes its headquarters at 317 8th Street, NE—ensuring its services for the District’s children in perpetuity.
The love poem event will also recognize a partnership with CharityWorks, which will make an investment in Higher Achievement of up to $1 million in 2006. CharityWorks is a volunteer organization whose members contribute both manpower and money to qualified non-profits in the Washington Metropolitan area that make a significant impact on the area's most urgent societal and educational needs. |
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