Last year the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation began a poetry recitation competition for high school students to be run in every state by the State Arts Councils. South Dakota invited the AA schools to participate on a trial basis the first year. The state contest was held in Pierre in April. Kayla Jackmon from Sioux Falls Washington was the winner. She was awarded $200 for winning the state contest and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC (with a chaperone) in May. Her school received a $500 award to purchase poetry books. Kayla was awarded $1000 as a finalist at the national contest. The first place winner at nationals received a $20,000 scholarship.

Jackmon a student at Sioux Falls Washington (pictured right), and Ngoc Thach of Sioux Falls O’Gorman (pictured at left) won first and second place honors during the first annual South Dakota Poetry Out Loud contest held recently at the State Capitol in Pierre.