Monday March 17th was a magnificent day for the Poetry Out Loud 2025 Illinois State Competition. In Illinois this year, 48 high schools were part of Poetry Out Loud, 200 teachers, and over 7,900 students. Foundation students represented Illinois’s eight regions competed at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.
The state competition featured recitations by winning students from each of eight state regions: Central, Chicago-City, Chicago-Metro, Eastern, Northern, South-central, Southern, and Western. The top five finalists included Chicagoland’s very own Jaden Conely and Elliana Sheehan who were both the runner-up (Sheehan) and winner (Conley) of the Chicagoland City and Suburban Regionals back in February. The finalists gave outstanding performances in the third and final round. While scores were being totaled, Illinois Poet Laurate Angela Jackson, graced the audience with her inspiring poetry.
At the end of the competition Mikiah Gerrity from Jefferson High School became the Illinois State Champion with her winning recitation of the “The Definition of Love,” by Andrew Marvell. Gerrity who will advance to May’s national competition in Washington, D.C.
Congrats also to Callie Standerfer from the University of Illinois Laboratory High School in Urbana who earned second place in the competition.
2025 Illinois Poetry Out Loud regional winners and their high schools:
Vanessa Perez Cano – Stephen T. Mather, Chicago
Jaden Conley – Niles West, Skokie (state finalist)
Lana Cooper – University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
Jada Jackson – Southeast, Springfield
Charles Kaffer – High School for Agricultural Sciences, Chicago
Alaina Morgan – Freeburg Community, Freeburg
Vivian Neukomm – Eureka, Eureka (state finalist)
Jayden Richardson – Freeburg Community, Freeburg
Grant Smith – Thomas Jefferson, Rockford
Elliana Sheehan – Wheaton-Warrenville South, Wheaton (state finalist)
Kinley Stoller – Eureka, Eureka
The State program manager was Susan Dickson of the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The contest coordinator was Sheila Walk, education director of the Springfield Area Arts Council. Recitation judges were Scottlynn Ballard, Judy Jordan, Joseph Saunders, and David Wright. The Accuracy judge was Thea Chesley, with Carey Smith as prompter, and Bob Jessup as Scorekeeper.
Poetry Out Loud in Illinois is a collaborative project of the Illinois Arts Council Agency and seven arts agencies who host regional contests. As a national program, Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in conjunction with state arts agencies, support this nation-wide program with participants from all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American, Samoa, and Puerto Rico.
More information is available at Poetry Out Loud
This program is made possible with support by the Illinois Arts Council Agency
