2007 Poetry Out Loud - Two years ago the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation began a poetry 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. Kayla Jackmon from Sioux Falls Washington was the first state winner and was a finalist at the national contest in Washington DC. Last year every high school in South Dakota was invited to participate in the contest. Schools submitted tapes of their local winners and a panel of judges chose 9 to participate in the state contest. The nine schools represented at the state contest were Brookings High School, Freeman Academy, Howard High School, Milbank High School, Redfield High School, Sioux Falls Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls Washington High School, Sisseton High School and Watertown High School. The state championship was held in Pierre in March of 2007. Jannell Nickell from Sioux Falls Lincoln was designated as the winner. She was awarded $200 for placing 1st in the state contest and received an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC (with a chaperone) at the end of April. Her school received a $500 award to purchase poetry books. National finalists receive from $1000 to $20,000.