[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO NATALIE WEAVER

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                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 27, 2009

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstandingly gifted student from my district, Natalie Weaver of 
Madison, Connecticut. On March 10, 2009, Natalie was named champion of 
Connecticut's fourth annual Poetry Out Loud competition held at the 
Carol Autorino Center in West Hartford, Connecticut. On April 28, she 
will represent Connecticut in the national finals held in Washington, 
DC.
  Poetry Out Loud is a national program that encourages high school 
students to engage in the written and spoken word through memorization 
and performance of modern and classic poetry. As part of the program in 
Connecticut, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCT) 
assisted participating teachers with professional development and 
placed teaching artists in participating schools. The CCT also 
established an all-day workshop for champions, first runner-ups, and 
their teachers. In Connecticut, the state competition was hosted by the 
CCT and the State Department of Education, in partnership with the 
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation.
  This year, more than 3,800 students participated in the program in 
Connecticut, which began with competitions at the classroom level and 
progressed to school-wide competitions, and eventually the state 
finals. In the state finals, Natalie beat 15 other contestants to win 
the state champion title. State finalists recited poems selected from 
an anthology that included over 400 classic and modern works. On April 
28, she will compete against other state finalists in the national 
competition, which will award over $50,000 in the form of scholarships 
and school stipends.
  Madam Speaker, poetry has long been an essential component of the 
human expression, serving as an accessible venue to explore and 
preserve universal themes such as love, beauty, nature, tragedy, and 
mortality. I commend the efforts of Poetry Out Loud program with 
engaging students in poetry and applaud Natalie on her big win. I ask 
my colleagues to join with me and my constituents in recognizing these 
contributions and cheering Natalie on in the national Poetry Out Loud 
competition.

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