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.
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“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.”
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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 — A shooting that injured a woman at a hotel on Indianapolis’ south side Saturday night is under investigation.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said officers were called to the Motel 6 in the 4300 block of Southport Crossings Way just after 9:30 p.m. on a report of a person shot.
Arriving officers found a woman who had been shot. She was reported to be in stable condition.
Investigators believe there was an altercation between the woman and a man in a hotel room that led to shots being fired.
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No other information about the incident has been released by police.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis City-County Council president explains her desire for a data center moratorium.
Council President Maggie Lewis wants to put a pause on new data center developments. The proposal comes after months of public pressure from residents and environmental groups who say the city needs stronger rules before allowing more data centers. Now, Lewis says it’s time to hit pause while those questions are answered.
“I’m not saying that we’ll never have a new data center in our community. That’s not what this is about. I understand the importance of economic development in our community, but it is important that we hit pause, do that deep dive, and allow the community and the experts to have an honest conversation about the topic,” Lewis said.
Lewis says she isn’t trying to stop economic development. Instead, she says the city needs more time to fully understand what data centers could mean for Indianapolis before approving additional projects. Lewis says residents have raised questions about the potential impact on utilities, the environment and quality of life, and she believes those concerns deserve a more thorough public discussion before the city moves forward with additional developments.
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“The community really is feeling as if their voices haven’t been heard. I believe it’s important that we bring all the stakeholders to the table and have that honest dialogue,” Lewis said.
Councilman Ron Gibson, who supports bringing data centers to Indianapolis, and he says these projects can bring investment to neighborhoods when they’re built in the right locations.
“This land where they’re going to actually develop it has been vacant for more than 43 years,” Gibson said. “It’s zoned for industrial use. This is really going to enhance our neighborhood. It’s going to bring back life, create more businesses that want to move into our area, and create more opportunity.”
(WISH Photo)
One of the biggest concerns raised by opponents is whether increased demand for electricity and water could create additional costs for taxpayers.
“I believe strongly that the data centers must uphold total costs. I made sure the developer, in writing, is responsible for all utility costs, so none of that rolls over to constituents,” Gibson said.
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Across Indiana, at least 17 counties have approved temporary moratoriums on new data center developments. Marshall and Cass counties have gone even further, banning new facilities altogether.
The committee meeting begins Monday at 5:30 p.m. inside the City-County Building, where members will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning rules and consider Lewis’ amendment for a temporary moratorium. If approved by the committee, the proposal would move to the full City-County Council for further consideration.
INDIANAPOLIS — An investigation is underway after a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash in downtown Indianapolis Saturday morning.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, at around 3:15 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of East Maryland and South Pennsylvania Streets after hearing a loud crash in the area.
Photo of IMPD investigating a hit-and-run crash in downtown Indianapolis on July 11, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.
When officers arrived on scene, they were flagged down by several people stating a pedestrian had been struck. Officers located an adult female who had been on a scooter in the crosswalk of the intersection.
She was transported to an area hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries, IMPD said.
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Investigators said the striking motorist did not stay on scene.
Police are encouraging those with information on the crash to contact Detective Adam Jones at (317) 327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.
