School Competition Flow and Personnel

School Competition Event - Sample Flow and Suggestions

Personnel:

Emcee

3-5 performance judges

1 accuracy judge

1 prompter

1-3 scorers

2 runners

Interlude people

●      Advertising your event- ideas:

○      Video of student competition during school open house

○      Video upload to local CCTV/ schooltube

○      Call all student competitors’ families the day before competition, to make sure they know!

○      Postcard invitations for each student to give out

○      Paper and electronic invitations sent out to community

●      School championship partners- ideas:

○      Math/computer club does scoring

○      Literary magazine club does food as a fundraiser

○      School band organizes music

○      Journalism class does videotaping

○      Art/design class does program design/formatting

○      School newspaper does photography

○      Culinary class does food as fundraiser

○      PTO- community cable connection

○      Honor society as ushers and runners

○      Art/photo class does invitations

●      Judges for school championships- ideas:

School board members, school officer, local business owners, local poets, past parents, UNH/SNHU/PSU/KSC/NEC English professors, drama department teachers, math/science teachers, newspaper editors/writers, lawyers, selectmen, town moderator, alumni

●      Interlude ideas

○      Individual students play music

○      School jazz band

○      MC shares bio info, gives info about the program, tells jokes

○      Other teachers, community members recite poems

○      Slideshow of scholastic artwork

○      Elementary school students recite poems

○      Spanish class reads poems

●      Prize ideas for school championship: (not mandatory)

○      Gift certificates

○      Journals

○      Frames for certificates

○      Chocolate and a rose

○      Local book store overstock gifts

○      Bookmarks

Your Event Prep:

●      Judges are seated in space, separated in some way from any audience members ( like putting a reserved, empty row behind them)

●      3-5 Performance Judges have copies of scoring sheets and something to write with. These judges do not need copies of the poems.

●      1 prompter is seated directly in front of presentation area for easy access for student.

●      Accuracy judge is seated next to prompter, so that any prompting/accuracy scores are accurate. Both accuracy judge and prompter have copies of poems that will be read.

●      Scorers are positioned in a room or space beyond view of audience and reciters.

●      Programmes (if you do them) have students’ names in order of presentation, include any sponsor acknowledgements.

Event Flow:

Emcee’ s Opening Intro:

●      Explain POL concept/mission

●      Explain process: classroom competitions, winners of those presenting at this school championship, school champion and runner up will represent the school at State Semi Final, then State Finals, ultimately NH Champ represents the state at Nationals in DC

●      Intro/Thank Judges and scoring team

●      Thankyous: any sponsors, school admin, fellow teachers, NH State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Society

●      Students are judged on:

○      Accuracy- every word counts!

○      Physical Presence

○      Voice and Articulation

○      Level of Difficulty

○      Dramatic Appropriateness

○      Evidence of Understanding

●      Explain that there will be two rounds (or one, if that’s what you do)

Round One:

●      Emcee introduces student by name.

●      Student walks to microphone, says name of poem and name of poet, recites poem

●      When each student is finished, judges complete their scoring sheets

●      Runner 1 stands ready to gather scoring sheets from each judge

●      When student is finished reciting, interlude music, or talking happens. This is to give judges the pause to complete their sheets.

●      Runner 1 gathers all scoring sheets, and takes to scoring room.

●      Runner 2 gets in position, Emcee introduces next student.

●      Process continues until all students have completed round 1. Usually a 5 minute pause becomes the “intermission” between rounds.

●      Round 2 proceeds same as round 1.

●      When round 2 is complete, there will be a few minute pause as scorers complete their tabulation.

●      Music is great here, also reviewing how students were judged.

●      A runner or other representative takes the results from scoring area/room to emcee.

●      A good moment to have all competitors come on stage, get certificates (if that’s what you do) and/or prizes, and applause.

●      Emcee states: “Results are final and confidential.”

●      You do not have to give any order of finishing beyond the winner and the runner up.

●      Important to mention the next step for school champion and alternate- state semifinals.