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.
