Skaneateles senior Madeline Van Riper accepts National Shakespeare Competition Award 

Skaneateles High School senior Madeline Van Riper took top honors at the Syracuse branch of the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition on March 11 at the Archbold Theatre in Syracuse, and on Tuesday afternoon she received the Syracuse branch winner’s plaque which will be put on display at Skaneateles High School.

Van Riper was joined in the Skaneateles High School Auditorium by a host of friends and family as well as district teachers and administrators to recognize her well-deserved honor.

Van Riper becomes just the third Skaneateles High School student to advance to the national level of the Shakespeare Competition joining Jeffrey Kringer and Pilar Castro Kiltz.

By winning the Syracuse branch of the competition, Van Riper now advances to the national competition to be held at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts scheduled for April 29 – May 2.

The Lincoln Center is the world’s leading presenter of superb artistic programming, while being the national leader in arts and education and community relations.

By winning her school’s competition, Van Riper earned the right to perform a Shakespeare sonnet and monologue in the regional round last weekend.

An experienced actress and singer, Van Riper chose to perform Sonnet 116, a poem about love in its ideal form.

The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition provides teachers across the country with a performance-based program for the study of English Language Arts and Shakespeare.

The school-based program serves grades 9-12.

Through the competition, students develop communication skills and an appreciation of the power of language and literature. The competition has engaged more than 300,000 young people since its inception in 1983.

More information will be provided as the national competition nears.