Indianapolis, IN
Pike senior wins Indiana Poetry Out Loud Competition – Indianapolis Recorder
Indiana Humanities officially named the winners of the 2024 Poetry Out Loud state contest. The winners are Aalihya Banks – Indianapolis Pike High School student – in first place, and Kylah Hockemeyer – Columbia City Eagle Tech Academy – in second place.
“I feel speechless,” said Banks in a statement released by Indiana Humanities. “I didn’t think it would be me, but I was very excited that it was. I feel like all my hard work paid off.”
The Poetry Out Loud event was held March 2 in Downtown Indianapolis and hosted 14 high school students. During the competition, students recited poems from an anthology book of more than 1,200 poems. Judges evaluated the students using multiple criteria, including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding and accuracy. This year’s judges were Indiana State Poet Laureate Curtis Crisler, Mitchell L.H. Douglas, Siren Hand, Hiromi Yoshida and accuracy judge Tony Brewer.
For her first-place win, Banks will receive $200 and Pike High School will receive $500 for poetry materials. As runner-up, Hockemeyer will receive $100 and Eagle Tech $200 for poetry materials. According to Indiana Humanities, Banks will also move on to the national Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., between April 30 and May 2, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.
“There was a lot of energy, and you could feel the nervousness, but you could also feel a lot of confidence and a lot of passion for the competition,” said Ana Bowman, communications manager for Indiana Humanities. Bowman also said she enjoyed seeing the camaraderie among the students, “They all seemed very supportive of each other and really just were happy to be together.”
The state contest is the culmination of months of work reading and analyzing poetry during the Poetry Out Loud (POL) education program.
“Poetry Out Loud 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,” Indiana Humanities said in a statement.
The POL education program in Indiana is presented in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Since it began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students nationwide have participated in Poetry Out Loud.
“Each year, Poetry Out Loud serves as a reminder of the powerful role that creativity plays in the classroom,” said IAC Executive Director Miah Michaelsen. “We are grateful for Indiana Humanities’ stewardship of this program and their work to provide a platform for young Hoosiers to share their voices.”
Sarah Vilensky, a Pike theater teacher and Banks’s instructor for the POL education program, talked about how much she has seen Banks grow during the program. This was the third year Banks participated in POL, and, according to Vilensky, it showed. Vilensky said Banks has continuously improved her skills, eventually learning to analyze poetry without much guidance.
“She has grown as a person and an actor over the past four years, and even the first time I saw her do one of these poems was such a different woman than the girl who sat in my classroom as a freshman. The maturity that she brings to them, she’s really telling a story. She’s not getting up and reciting lines, she’s found the heart of the piece,” Vilensky said.
Contact Racial Justice Reporter Garrett Simms at 317-762-7847
Indianapolis, IN
Chase Sexton out for at least another round, Indianapolis Supercross, with practice injuries
Chase Sexton will miss at least one more round of the SuperMotocross World Championship to heal from injuries suffered in practice prior to the Daytona Supercross, the Kawasaki Racing team announced on social media. He will miss Round 9 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Sexton got off to a disappointing start with his new team, finishing eighth in the season-opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. He rallied to finish fourth the following week in San Diego after coming out of the gates slowly, and then won his first race with the team in the second Anaheim event.
With a forthcoming off-week following the Indianapolis Supercross, Drew Adams could return in time for the East / West Showdown in Birmingham.
Since then, his best finish has been fifth, which he scored in the Houston Triple Crown event and in Seattle.
After missing Daytona, Sexton is fifth in the championship standings, tied with Justin Cooper at 49 points behind the leader, Hunter Lawrence.
An off-week follows the Indianapolis Supercross, giving Sexton additional time to heal.
Dylan Ferrandis hurt his thumb in a Daytona heat race, but an MRI reveals there are no broken bones.
Indianapolis, IN
Find your furry friend at Lucky Tails Adoption Event in Indianapolis, all fees waived
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Feeling lonely and in need of a friend?
Check out Lucky Tails Adoption Event on Saturday, March 14, hosted by Indianapolis Animal Care Services. All fees will be waived and every pet available has been microchipped, spayed or neutered, and is up to date on vaccinations.
To make the transition even easier for you and your new companion, each new parent will receive a goody bag of necessities. There will be adoption counselors at the event to help you with any questions and to help you find a pet that best fits your lifestyle.
Last month, 59 animals found new homes during IACS’ Valentine’s Day Adoption event. The shelter hopes more animals can strike gold and find their forever home at this month’s event. “Our goal is to make as many matches as possible between our animals and the people who are meant to love them,” said IACS Director, Amanda Dehoney-Hinkle.
The vent will be held at the shelter located at 2600 South Harding Street. IACS also has four upcoming weekend “Pop-Up” adoption events around the city:
- March 21 from noon to 3 p.m. at PetSmart, 9749 East Washington Street.
- March 28 from noon to 3 p.m. at PetSmart, 7801 US 31 South.
- April 11 from noon to 3 p.m. at Puppy Playground, 7224 Rockville Road.
- April 18 from noon to 3 p.m. at City Dogs Grocery, 1028 Virginia Avenue.
View adoptable pets here.
The Indianapolis Colts under general manager Chris Ballard have generally been extremely cautious in free agency. They rarely bring in outside playmakers, a strategy that hasn’t paid off over the past decade.
Still, since 2017, Indianapolis has made several impactful outside additions. Some have paid off handsomely, and others have fallen flat. Let’s take a look at Indy’s best and worst signings over the past decade.
Best Signings
DE Justin Houston
Houston signed with the Colts as a free agent in March 2019 on a two-year, $24 million contract after eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he established himself as one of the league’s premier pass rushers.
Houston is the last Colts pass rusher to record double-digit sacks, doing so in 2019 (11 sacks).
QB Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones played better football than any Colts quarterback since Philip Rivers in 2020. He certainly was worth his $17 million price tag, and it’s fair to say he was one of the best Colts free agent signings of the Chris Ballard era.
Jones was transition tagged by the Colts earlier this week, becoming the second quarterback in NFL history to be placed under the transition tag.
QB Philip Rivers
Speaking of Rivers, he deserves a spot on this list. In his 2020 campaign, Rivers threw for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He led the Colts to their last playoff appearance and nearly upset the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
TE Eric Ebron
Miami Dolphins At Indianapolis Colts In Nfl Week 10 At Lucas Oil Stadium In Indianapolis Sunday Nov 10 2019 | Jenna Watson/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Ebron struggled with drops throughout his career, but his one season paired with Andrew Luck was special. In 2018, Ebron hauled in 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. Each of those numbers was a career high.
In 2019, Ebron’s production fell off a cliff. He only caught 31 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns from Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer. Still, Ebron deserves recognition for his one decent year in Indy.
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Worst Signings
CB Xavien Howard
Howard was brought in weeks before the 2025 season, and after a month in Indy, he abruptly retired. The former All-Pro corner struggled mightily during his brief Colts tenure. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 139.2 passer rating and 16 receptions while earning a 36.1 overall grade.
Once Puka Nacua went for 13 receptions and 170 yards while matched up against Howard, the 10-year veteran knew it was time to hang up the cleats for good.
K Matt Gay
Ballard rarely gives out money, but in 2023, he thought it would be wise to sign Matt Gay to the largest free-agent kicker contract of all time (four years, $22.5 million). Gay stayed for two seasons before the team cut him last spring.
During his time in Indianapolis, Gay converted 82.1% of his field goal attempts (64 of 78). When kicking from 50 yards and beyond, Gay had a 50% success rate (11 of 22).
DT Raekwon Davis
The Colts signed Davis as a cheap depth piece at defensive tackle, but he never truly became anything special. He appeared in 17 games in 2024, recording 15 total tackles.
The Colts gave Davis a two-year, $14 million deal only to cut him before his second season in Indy.
WR Devin Funchess
Ballard signed Funchess to a one-year deal worth up to $13 million back in 2019, months before Luck retired. Funchess missed most of the season with a broken collarbone that he suffered in Week 1 after hauling in three receptions for 32 yards.
Funchess’s lack of success in Indy wasn’t his fault, but it was another signing down the drain for Ballard’s front office.
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