Congratulations to Eureka High School students Vivian Neukomm and Kinley Stoller, who both participated in the Poetry Out Loud 2025 Illinois State Contest in March! Vivian and Kinley were each regional contest winners in this season’s program, which began last fall with nearly 8,000 students, 201 teachers and 48 high schools in Illinois all participating.
There were seven regional competitions held, with 14 students advancing to the State Contest hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council. Students at the State Contest presented excellent recitations of the works of well-known classic and contemporary poets.
The Poetry Out Loud program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, offers high school students an opportunity to expand their analytical, memorization, and presentation skills, which benefit their overall education experience.
The students who participated at the Poetry Out Loud 2025 Illinois State Contest, including Vivian and Kinley, are featured in the video above that was produced by UMedia.