COLUMBUS, Ohio – Registration for the 2015-16 Ohio Poetry Out Loud (POL) year is now open until December 1. Beginning this year, Ohio POL will add three regional semifinal contests in addition to regular school contests and the State Finals. Teacher-training workshops are currently planned in Cleveland and Columbus.

Registration is now open. Schools must be registered for the program for their school champions to compete beyond the school level. All competitions, workshops, and POL curriculum materials are free to contestants and schools. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Semifinals will be held in Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton during the first week of March 2016. The State Finals in Columbus will now be a half-day event on Saturday, March 19, 2016. Ohio POL will also work to develop new regional partnerships to reach teachers and students across the state.

Additional program updates include: offering Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit for teacher workshops, extending workshop opportunities, archiving workshop videos online, offering an early-winter webinar, and providing semi-final contestants with composite score reports.