Local high school students had the chance to show off their creative abilities through poetry through the 2020-2021 Poetry Out Loud competition, hosted by Southwestern Illinois College Feb. 11.

Each contestant submitted recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 1,100 poems. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding and accuracy.

Seven area high schools participated including Collinsville High School, East St. Louis Senior High School, Edwardsville High School, Freeburg Community High School, Governor French Academy, Mascoutah High School and Wyvetter Younge Alternative Center.

Winning artists for the contest include:                       

Edwardsville High School

Champion Winner: Jordyn Ginestra for reciting“The Wish, By a Young Lady” by Laetitia Pilkington and “My Partner Wants Me to Write Them a Poem About Sheryl Crow” by Kayleb Rae Candrilli.

Freeburg High School

Runner-Up: Joshua Merz for reciting“Altered After Too Many Years Under the Mask” by C.A. Conrad and “Hunger for Something” by Chase Twichell.

Ginestra and Merz will advance to the Poetry Out Loud state competition in March 2021, along with two finalists from each of the other seven Illinois regional contests.

The school of the state champion will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency and SWIC.

To view all the poetry submission or for more information visit
swic.edu/poetry-out-loud or contact Amy Brockman at 618-235-2700, ext. 5324.

Experience the award-winning footwork of the “Gentleman of Vision” step team at Southwestern Illinois College. Watch and listen to a live performance of percussive dance in which the performer’s entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word and hand claps.

The show will take place during the halftime of the SWIC men’s basketball game on Monday, Feb. 24 in the SWIC Belleville Campus Main Complex Varsity Gym, 2500 Carlyle Ave. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are FREE with a SWIC student ID, $2 for youth and $5 for adults, which must be purchased at the event.

The Gentleman of Vision team was founded in 2009 by Marlon Wharton and the late Paul Albea on the campus of Riverview Gardens High School in St. Louis. Both Wharton and Albea saw an increasing and alarming need to address the issues and concerns of young socioeconomically disadvantaged males.   

“Gentlemen of Vision shapes and molds young men into positive, productive professionals through mentoring,” says Wharton.

The mission of the group and organization is to prepare disadvantaged males to successfully complete high school through demonstrating superior leadership skills, academic excellence, community service, and career readiness in order to successfully transition into higher education or trade.

For more information on the Gentleman of Vision visit gentlemenofvision.org. The event is sponsored by the SWIC Diversity & Inclusion Committee. For more information, contact College Activities at 618-235-2700, ext. 5205.

American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored at a special in-depth presentation about his life and legacy. The educational and inspirational program titled, “I Have a Dream: A King’s Journey” will be presented by Respect Academy founder and president Marcus “Dr. Respect” Gentry.

The program will be held on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Campus Main Complex Theatre, 2500 Carlyle Ave. An hors d’oeuvres reception will be held at 6:15 p.m. outside the theatre and the program starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the SWIC Belleville Campus College Activities office, room 1246.      

Within his career, Gentry develops and delivers programs that enhance personal and professional growth, empowerment and leadership; builds habits of success; improves organizational performance; and increases workplace awareness through educational training. He is an innovative entrepreneur who has worked in the fields of training, consulting and social services for more than 30 years.

Gentry has spent the last several years dedicated to creating programs targeted at developing character and building habits of success through self-reflection. He has also appeared on several TV programs discussing alcohol and substance abuse, leadership skills and violence prevention.  
    

The event is sponsored by the SWIC Diversity & Inclusion Committee. For more information about the event contact College Activities at 618-235-2700, ext. 5205.

Public transit is a safe, cost-effective transportation option for people of all ages, and in the St. Louis region, it’s proving to be particularly viable for students. High school, college and university students accounted for nearly 2 million MetroLink and 1.6 million MetroBus passenger trips during the last school year. To underscore the advantages of a robust public transit system and further boost ridership among students, faculty and staff at higher education institutions, Citizens for Modern Transit, Metro Transit, Metro Transit Public Safety and the Bureau of Transit Police are teaming up with St. Louis Community College (#STLCC), Saint Louis University (#SLU), Southwestern Illinois College (#SWIC), University of Missouri–St. Louis (#UMSL) and Washington University in St. Louis (#WUSTL) to host the first ever College Transit Challenge. On Wednesday, Aug. 28, those affiliated with the respective schools can help their college or university win by taking MetroBus or MetroLink that day. Ridership will be tracked via social media. Participants simply check in at a Metro Transit Center – via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter – and post a status update or photo with #iTakeTransit, along with their school’s hashtag (ex: #iTakeTransit #UMSL).

The school with the most ridership will be awarded bragging rights and a MetroLink Train Trophy. All College Transit Challenge participants will be entered in a prize drawing for St. Louis Cardinals tickets and more. Plus, those who show their Metro U-Pass to the Bureau of Transit Police and Metro Transit Public Safety Officers when traveling via MetroLink or MetroBus that day may receive a special prize.

“One of the goals of this challenge is to spotlight the fact that academic institutions are helping to support sustainable transit access through transit fare programming,” commented Taulby Roach, President and CEO, Bi-State Development. “More than 100,000 passes provide students, faculty and staff unlimited access for MetroBus and MetroLink trips during the school year through Metro’s U-Pass program. In addition to getting to and from campus, these passes can be utilized to gain free access to restaurants, shopping, employment opportunities, sporting and concert venues, and St. Louis culture. It’s safe, convenient and far more cost effective than driving, paying for parking or utilizing on-demand ride services.”

College Transit Challenge partners are hosting a kick-off event at 8 a.m. at the Grand MetroLink Station. There will be formal remarks by Kimberly Cella, Executive Director, Citizens for Modern Transit; Taulby Roach, President and CEO, Bi-State Development; Colonel Jon M. Belmar, Chief of Police, St. Louis County Police Department; Thomas F. George, Chancellor, University of Missouri–St. Louis; and Ashley Williams, a student from Washington University in St. Louis who regularly uses the local public transit system. Mascots from each of the participating schools, as well as other representatives, will also be on hand.

“This day-long effort is an yet another opportunity for us to reinforce the key role a safe, integrated public transit system plays in providing access and opportunity to an array of resources, including education,” said Kimberly Cella, Executive Director, Citizens for Modern Transit. “We are grateful for our academic partners and look forward to a fun-filled day aboard transit.”

To learn more, visit www.cmt-stl.org or www.metrostlouis.org.

About Citizens for Modern Transit

Citizens for Modern Transit is a nonprofit, member supported organization that leads efforts for an integrated, affordable, and convenient public transportation system with light rail expansion as the critical component that will drive economic growth to improve quality of life in the St. Louis region.

About Metro Transit

Metro Transit operates the St. Louis region’s public transportation system which includes 400 clean-burning diesel buses that serve 83 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Metro also operates MetroLink light rail vehicles on 46 miles of track serving 38 stations in the two-state area, and operates Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro Transit is a Bi-State Development enterprise.