Poetry Out Loud program registration continues

High school teachers and students may have until Dec. 1 to register for Nevada Poetry Out Loud, a program structured along the lines of the National Spelling Bee, but focusing on literary heritage.

Registration for the program, which features memorization and performance of classic or contemporary poems, is open to all Nevada public, private, charter, parochial and alternative schools, as well as home school associations.

The Nevada Arts Council, the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education sponsor the competition.

It is part of a national poetry recitation program made possible through funding and leadership from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

The 2013 program is made possible in part by support from NV Energy.

Nevada Poetry Out Loud 2013 begins at the local level, with participants advancing to district and then state competition.

The state winner earns $1,000, plus $1,000 for his or her school, and advances to the National Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. to compete for $50,000 in scholarships and school prizes.

In 2012, more than 2,200 students, teachers and coaches participated in Nevada from 14 of the state's counties.