ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Poetry Out Loud (POL) 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.

This year's county competition, hosted by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), will be conducted virtually.  Each school's winner will submit two video recitations to SCOE in early February. The judging will then take place, followed by a Zoom Webinar for all to watch the student recitations and the winner and runner-up will be announced (dates SCOE Webinar TBD).

HOW DO I GET MY STUDENTS INVOLVED?

Schools must register through the link below by December 17, 2021

The competitions will first be implemented in the fall 2021 at the school or classroom level to identify one student winner to represent their high school in the Sacramento County Competition (being held virtually). The winner will then compete in the state final competition to be held on March 6-7, 2022 in Sacramento. The state winner will represent California at the National Finals in Washington, DC on April 25-27, 2022. The State and National competitions are planning to be in-person events.

The digital teacher's guide can be found here:

Poetry Out Loud Teacher's Guide