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Pike senior wins Indiana Poetry Out Loud Competition – Indianapolis Recorder

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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.

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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





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Indianapolis, IN

Silver Alert declared for 16-year-old boy missing from Indianapolis

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Silver Alert declared for 16-year-old boy missing from Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the disappearance of Robert Williams Jr., a 16-year-old Black male who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds, has black hair with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue sweat pants, and black tennis shoes.

Williams Jr. is missing from Indianapolis, and was last seen on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. 

Investigators ask that anyone with information on Williams Jr. contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-6541 or 911.

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The City of Indianapolis’ “Indy Peace Fellowship” 2025 review

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The City of Indianapolis’ “Indy Peace Fellowship” 2025 review


INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Peace Fellowship is an initiative from the city, providing solutions to reduce gun violence in our city.

WRTV spoke with Dane Nutty, President & CEO of the Indy Public Safety Foundation, about its efforts in 2025 and continued targets ahead for 2026.

“A lot of times, you have an idea of what the community wants, you have an idea of what people need, and so, we certainly have a significant engagement with the community daily,” Nutty said.

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The City of Indianapolis’ “Indy Peace Fellowship” 2025 review

Finding solutions to gun violence has been one of the city’s biggest hurdles.

“This year that we’re looking at annual data, we’re over 20% reduction in criminal homicides and nearly 30% reduction in non-fatal shootings, but again, I think it’s a testament to the investments that have been made over the last three to five years and really lifting not only targeted intervention but also community voices in violence intervention,” Nutty said.

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Nutty said that the relationships built with the community, IMPD and organizations throughout the years helped foster greater results in 2025.

“I think after the first couple of years, you know, when you launch a really huge new strategy, it takes a little time to kind of cement those partnerships and ensure that we’re being most effective and intentional with our work, and we’ve really seen that come into play this year,” Nutty said.

Looking ahead to 2026, Nutty said his team will continue to review data daily to help cultivate the best outcome.

“We might have an incident in the community that results in either the potential for retaliation or, you know, some additional trauma that that neighborhood or that community has incurred,” Nutty said.

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Indy Peace Fellowship

Every year, Indy Peace Fellowship’s goal is to reduce homicides by 10%.

“As of today, we’re down over 20% in criminal homicides year to date, so we’re certainly, again. We’re happy that we met that goal. That doesn’t mean that the work has completed, right? That we can just say, ‘Hey, we’ve done it all, we’ve fixed the problem.’ There’s a lot of work to move forward,” Nutty said.

Nutty added that they are seeing nearly a 30% reduction year-over-year in non-fatal shootings. Further proving that community outreach and targeted impact are working.





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IMPD officer charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated after showing up to work smelling of alcohol

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IMPD officer charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated after showing up to work smelling of alcohol


INDIANAPOLIS — An officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OVWI).

According to a news release from IMPD, Bryan Gibson, an officer with the department, arrived at the department’s southeast district in his personal vehicle on the evening of Dec. 10 for a scheduled administrative duty shift.

When Gibson arrived, the department alleges that Gibson smelled like alcohol. After an investigation from the department’s OVWI unit, the special investigations unit and internal affairs, the release said that Gibson was determined to be under the influence of alcohol.

On Dec. 11, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey suspended Gibson without pay and recommended his termination to the department’s civilian police merit board.

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The release said that at the time of the incident, Gibson was assigned to administrative duty. Officials said that Gibson did not have police powers while under administrative investigation for an unrelated personnel matter.

On Wednesday, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office officially filed charges against Gibson for:

  • Operating a vehicle while intoxicated
  • Operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

Gibson’s initial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026, the release said.



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