Congratulations teachers and students for making it through another challenging and artful school year! ADE Arts Education is thrilled to share the State Seal of Arts Proficiency Year End Report. Participation and achievement grew again for the third year in a row, with 978 students earning a Seal of Arts Proficiency! Congratulations to the students, teachers, and LEAs for their ongoing dedication and commitment to the arts. In this newsletter, we will also share several opportunities to showcase the amazing work of Arizona student artists.

Nine high school students from across the nation are vying for the title of 2022 Poetry Out Loud™ National Champion and the $20,000 prize as part of an annual poetry recitation competition from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation. The 2022 competition will culminate on Sunday, June 5, 2022, with a one-time-only webcast available on the NEA’s website at Arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT / 4:00 p.m. PT. Poet, publisher, and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander will host the virtual event that will include poetry recitations by each of the finalists and the announcement of the National Champion.