MS SC621

Commends Joy Cariño, a Starkville High School senior, for winning first place in the 2014 Mississippi Arts Commission "Poetry Out Loud" State Finals held at Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson

Joy Cariño received $200 and her school library received a $500 stipend for poetry books; she also earned an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the National Finals in Washington, D.C. in April 2014

Over 5,138 students from 47 Mississippi schools participated in the statewide competition, part of a national program with more than 375,000 participants sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation

Starkville High School produced back-to-back state champions, with the 2013 winner (Akane Little) also from the school, and Mississippi's 2012 champion (Kirsten Dupard) went on to win the national title

Resolution to be presented to Joy Cariño and forwarded to Starkville High School Principal Keith Fennell and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission