Title
2026 Poetry Out Loud - County Champion
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00831
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Receive and comment.
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Contact
Contact: Jason Jong, Cultural and Creative Economy Manager, Office of Arts and Culture, (916) 808-5105, jjong@cityofsacramento.org, Convention and Cultural Services Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Melissa Cirone, Grants and Programs Manager, Office of Arts and Culture, (916) 808-3983, mcirone@cityofsacramento.org, Convention and Cultural Services Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The primary purpose of this item is to acknowledge and congratulate Beza Getahun, current student at C.K. McClatchy High School, as County Champion of the 2026 Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud poetry recitation competition as well as California State Champion of the Poetry Ourselves creative writing component, who will provide a presentation highlighting her achievement and the impact of the program.
The secondary purpose of this item is to share general information about the annual Poetry Out Loud program with members of ACCEC and the general public.
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national arts education program and recitation competition for high school students, developed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation. POL encourages students to learn about, memorize, and perform great poems, enhancing public speaking skills, building confidence, and fostering an appreciation for literature. The statewide program is offered through the California Arts Council (CAC), with regional competitions administered through county arts agencies.
The Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) partners with local program coordinating agency Sacramento County Office of Education to deliver POL with the engagement of program coordinators, teachers, parents, and supporters throughout the county-a partnership made possible by way of OAC’s designation as county arts agency through Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations:
Discussions regarding the delivery of arts programming to benefit young people in local schools are aligned with Creative Edge: Sacramento’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Plan (Creative Edge), which was adopted by Sacramento City Council on July 3, 2018, and which serves as the guiding policy framework for the Office of Arts and Culture.
The Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission (ACCEC) serves, in part, to support and advance the six goals identified within Creative Edge, intended to fulfill the Sacramento community’s vision for its arts, cultural and creative future.
This item addresses the following three (3) Creative Edge goals:
Goal 1: Provide arts education to all Sacramento’s children and youth; Goal 2: Advance cultural equity for all Sacramento’s diverse populations; and Goal 5: Celebrate and infuse all Sacramento neighborhoods and districts with arts and culture.
This item also addresses the following 2026 ACCEC Workplan goal:
Goal 2: Enhance community awareness and understanding of ACCEC as a supportive, accessible resource dedicated to arts and culture.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: None, as this item does not constitute a specific “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it will not cause a direct (or reasonably foreseeable indirect) physical environmental change, and in any event, is exempt as continuing policy and procedure making and administrative activity. (CEQA Guidelines § 15378 (a) and (b)(2) and (5).)
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/CommitteeAction
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation:
The purpose of the ACCEC is to provide advice and recommendations for promoting, encouraging, and fostering the arts, innovation, and tourism, in the city. One of its many charges is to act as a liaison between the city, local artists, cultural groups, and the community at large. This includes discussing matters that may address and influence the continued implementation of the Creative Edge Plan.
Poetry Out Loud represents a long-standing partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education, and a program made available to students throughout Sacramento County as the designated county arts agency through the California Arts Council’s State-Local Partners program.
Briefings, discussions, and presentations around programs and partnerships that are generated through or involve the Office of Arts and Culture, address goals of the Creative Edge Plan, or involve matters relating to the advancement of arts, culture, and the creative economy provide important opportunities for ACCEC to be an informed and engaged body.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: None.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise(LBE)
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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