Poetry Out Loud champ heads to national competition

Sixteen high school students from schools across Montana met at Grandstreet Theatre in Helena earlier this month to compete in the Montana Poetry Out Loud State Finals. 

Although Whitefish High School senior Jake Dunker is neither an avid fan of poetry nor a poet, he earned the title of Montana’s 2025 state champion. 

“When the results were announced, I didn't actually think I had made the top three, so it was very much a surprise when I found out that I had,” Dunker said. 

The competition consisted of three rounds, wherein participants recited poems from memory and were judged on accuracy, interpretation and style. This is where Dunker shines; he likes public speaking and reciting works with passion. 

Eric Heidle, communications director with the Montana Arts Council, said it was a strong class of competitors this year. He said there are two ways students could be dinged on accuracy -- forgetting or substituting a word or asking for a prompt to jog their memory. This year, no prompts were requested. 

“Jake was very consistent, which was one thing the judges talked about,” Heidle said. “He had a good read on the poems he chose. He knew how to present them in a way that expressed what the poems mean.” 

Dunker said he noticed a big difference between the Poetry Out Loud competition at the state versus the regional level. 

“People at the state level had a lot more passion and seemed to understand their poems a lot better,” he said. “No longer was it just who could memorize their poem, now it was who could actually perform it.” 

In combination with his stage presence and confidence, Dunker, who finished in third place last year, stood out in this year’s elite group of competitors by being a little bit better, according to Heidle. 

Dunker earned $200 for the victory along with $500 for Whitefish High School to buy poetry books. 

His win at the state level means Dunker will represent Montana at the National Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. in May. There, he will go up against students from every state and territory in the nation for the top prize of $20,000. 

Dunker performed “Numbers” by Mary Cornish, “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley and, in the final round, “Listening in Deep Space” by Diane Thiel. 

“’Ozymandias’ was introduced to me in my AP literature class and really stuck with me since it has a strong connection to ‘Breaking Bad,’” Dunker, a fan of the popular television show, said. “The show is somewhat based around it, there is an episode called ‘Ozymandias,’ and there is a video of Walter White, [played by] Bryan Cranston, reciting it, that I largely tried to copy in my recitation.”  

Two judges from the state competition are coaching Dunker now, helping him get his poems dialed in for the competition in May where he plans on performing the same three works. 

“Poetry Out Loud is a beautiful program that allows our students to showcase some of their talents that otherwise would go overlooked,” said Krysten Fitzsimmons, Whitefish High School teacher and, along with Nikki Reed, organizer of the competition. “I'm so proud of Jake and all of the students who participated this year.” 

Montana’s Poet Laureat, Chris La Tray, spoke at the state competition and will serve as a judge in May, in a different class than the Montana champ. 

The national finals will be broadcast online May 5-7, at arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud.

    Jake Dunker shares a high five with Montana Poet Laureat Chris La Tray at the Poetry Out Loud competition. (Eric Heidle photo)
  

    Whitefish's Jake Dunker stands in the center, amid finalists in the Poetry Out Loud competition in Helena. (Eric Heidle photo)