Who Will Be the Next Bard? Facebook Twitter Email This Post Great Hearts Academies April 12, 2024 If there is one Great Hearts event that displays the wonder of a young life that has been exposed to the beauty of a classical education, it’s the Great Hearts Bard. This annual poetry recitation among our third, fourth, and fifth grade scholars will take place in the Veritas Prep Lund Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 12th, 2024 at 6:30 PM (MST). If you are unable to attend in person, you can still watch the competition through the live stream links below: YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/UNIVFUKFLTo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreatHeartsAcademies/live_videos/ A Bard is defined as “a tribal poet-singer skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds.” The word “Bard” immediately evokes a mental image of William Shakespeare, complete with his up-turned mustache and ruffled collar. He is commonly known as The Bard of Avon, a title given to him in recognition for being a master poet. At Great Hearts, the Bard Competition is a tradition and a celebration of poetry where scholars are selected from each local Archway (K-5 academy) in Arizona to compete in the region-wide championship. Finalists will recite from memory a poem or excerpt and will be scored by a panel of judges. “I’ve had the privilege of being a judge at the Bard competition for a few years now and have loved every moment of it,” said Cammie Passey, Director of Curriculum in Lower Schools. “Each year, the judges are provided a standardized evaluation rubric to help us identify the students who present commanding and engaging performances which do not overshadow the content of the poem. It’s a tricky balance to strike and the close final scores reflect that challenge!” Scores are given for physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Accuracy is also a component. By the end of the night, a new Bard will be named as we celebrate Truth, Goodness, and Beauty through poetry. 2024 Bard Finalists: Archway Trivium: Carter J. – The Bells, Edgar Allen Poe Archway Veritas: Kai A. – Being Brave at Night, by Edgar A. Guest Archway Maryvale: Tanmay B. – Woodman, Spare that Tree, by George Pope Morris Archway Anthem: Amelia C. – Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carrol Archway Lincoln: Tatum E. – Dulce Et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen Archway Arete: Persia G. – Because I Cannot Sleep, by Mewlana Rumi Archway Chandler: Lia M. – The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus Archway Roosevelt: Elinor P. – The Mending Wall, by Robert Frost Archway Cicero: Luca S. – If, by Rudyard Kipling Archway Glendale: Ayleen T. – The Liberty Bell, by William Ross Wallace Archway Scottsdale: Varsh V. – I am the People, The Mob, by Carl Sandberg Archway North Phoenix: Natalia Z. – The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother, by John Greenleaf Whittier One of these finalists will be announced as the 2024 Bard winner, taking over the reins for Lincoln Carpenter, the impressive 2023 Bard winner from Archway Cicero. Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.
