High school students from across the state will take center stage to compete in a poetry recitation program this Saturday coordinated by the North Carolina Arts Council.

The semifinals start Feb. 28 at 9 a.m. at the North Carolina Museum of History in the auditorium. There are three rounds of semifinals featuring nine to ten students each. Round two starts at 12:30 p.m. Round three starts at 3 p.m. The final competition begins at 7 p.m. A reception immediately follows the final competition, which last about two hours.

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is a national initiative to encourage high school students to memorize and recite poetry while mastering public speaking skills, building self-confidence and learning about their literary heritage.

The recitation program, which is free and open to the public features readings by 29 students from private and public schools, including schools as far away as Buncombe and Dare County. Triangle area schools participating are: Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough; Chatham Central High School in Siler City; Clark Center for Learning in Cary and J.D. Clement Early College High School in Durham.

Master of ceremonies, David zum Brunnen, a professional North Carolina actor, will lead the competition. Judges for the contest are Bob Alexander, English Language Arts Consultant for the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction; Suzanne Newton, a local writer and poet; and Donna Washington, a local multiple award-winning storyteller and children's book author.

"I can't imagine myself at the age getting up in front of a group of people and reciting and giving meaning to a poem," says Suzanne Newton, a Raleigh fiction writer and one of the judges.

Schools participating in the program received supplemental curriculum materials from the NEA including print and online anthologies, a program guide to help instructors teach recitation and performance, an audio CD featuring distinguished actors and writers, promotional and media guides and a comprehensive Web site.

Students first participate at the school level. Winners from the schools advance to the state level competition. Winners at the state level receive $200 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the national championship. State winners' schools also receive a $500 stipend to be used for purchasing poetry books. The runners-up at the state level receive $100, with their school receiving a $200 stipend for buying poetry books. The NEA plans to award more than $50,000 in scholarships and stipends at the national finals for winners and their schools.