Register now for ‘Poetry Out Loud’ program

JUNEAU — Alaska high schools have until Oct. 15 to register to be part of this year’s National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.

At the state level, the annual contest is a partnership with Alaska State Council on the Arts and Juneau Arts and Humanities Council that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

Tong Thao from Colony High School, in Palmer was selected as the 2013 Alaska Poetry Out Loud champion and represented Alaska in the National Finals in Washington, D.C., in May.

High school teachers who are interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud should know that the program takes one to three weeks of classroom time, and may be incorporated with existing poetry units. High schools that wish to be part of the official Poetry Out Loud program must register online at bit.ly/1exYeNX.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts will determine which schools are eligible to take part in the official Poetry Out Loud program. Schools that are not in the official program may conduct their own contests using the online resources.

During fall and winter 2013-14, schools are invited to participate in classroom and schoolwide contests, advancing to a state competition on March 11, 2014. State champions will advance to the National Finals, to take place on April 29-30, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Alaska State Council on the Arts informal teleconferences are Sept. 24 and Oct. 1 for teachers, administrators and parents who want to know more about the program.

Program materials are available for download online at poetryoutloud.org.

For more information, contact Kari Groven at (907) 586-2787, pol@jahc.org, or visit poetryoutloud.org.