Champaign student wins runner-up in state poetry contest

Simmy Wood
·2 min read

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Out of more than 7,000 students, one from Central High School in Champaign won second place at the Illinois Arts Council (IAC)’s Illinois Poetry Out Loud contest.

The event is a recitation competition hosted by Poetry Out Loud, which is a national arts education program. This year, 44 high schools and 205 teachers participated.

Last month, 16 students from across Illinois vied for the title of state champion. They traveled to Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield and recited their works to a panel of judges. Skokie student Yohanna Endashaw of Niles West High School was named the champion, and Kate Roth from Champaign earned runner-up.

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Endashaw will move onto the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C. On May 1, she will compete in the second round of semi-finals, representing Illinois.

“Congratulations to Yohanna Endashaw and to all the young people who dedicated themselves to the study of poetry and put themselves forward to perform, no small feat for anyone of any age,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said. “Your passion for art and your hard work will represent Illinois admirably on the national stage, and I wish you the best of luck in Washington D.C. this spring.”

Roth is joined by three other Central Illinois students who were recognized for their regional successes. That includes Anna Probst from Teutopolis High School, as well as Springfield students Ella Meyer from Lutheran High School and Ashyla Richards from Southeast High School.

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“Poetry Out Loud serves as a positive outlet for personal expression,” IAC Executive Director Joshua Davis-Ruperto said. “I’d like to thank all Poetry Out Loud regional participants for demonstrating the power of poetry with a special congratulations to Yohanna Endashaw who will represent Illinois again in the national contest.”

Poetry Out Loud offers free educational materials for students to help them enhance public speaking skills, self-confidence, and knowledge of literary history and contemporary life. The National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies work in collaboration with the program.

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