Whitefish Teen Named Montana Poetry Out Loud Champion

• Eric Heidle
• March 11 2025

On Saturday, March 8^th sixteen high school students from schools across Montana met at Grandstreet Theatre in Helena to compete in the 2025 Montana Poetry Out Loud State Finals. Following three rounds of intense performances, in which participants recited poems from memory while being judged on accuracy, interpretation, and style, Whitefish senior Jake Dunker emerged as Montana’s 2025 state champion. Reciting “NUMBERS” by Mary Cornish and “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley in the Finals’ opening rounds, Jake sealed his victory in the championship round with a pitch-perfect rendition of “Listening in Deep Space,” by Diane Thiel.

In addition to his poetry recitation skills, Jake is an active member of the Whitefish community, participating in numerous clubs and outreach programs such as National Honor Society, Lions Club, and the North Valley Food Bank. He’s also been involved in academic competitions such as speech and debate, DECA, HOSA, and Science Olympiad. Jake has worked as a line cook for 4 years and enjoys hanging out with friends, skiing, biking, hiking, and stargazing.

Runner-up Eva Murray is a sophomore at Anaconda Jr/Sr High School. Born and raised in Sitka, Alaska, she moved to Montana in November of 2021 and has been writing stories since she was little. For Eva, Poetry Out Loud has been a great opportunity to experience other people's stories in poetry. Upon graduation, Eva wishes to enroll at the University of Montana in Missoula and explore her interests from there. Her recitations in the Finals were “An Apology For Her Poetry” by Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Cavendish, “Water of the womb” by Tianna Bratcher and “Golden Hour” by Kimberly Casey.

Third-place finisher Megan Donnelly is from Butte, Montana and has always loved performing in front of a crowd. She’s been appearing in plays since second grade, when she began acting in local theater productions. Megan joined the Speech and Debate team in high school and has sought out other opportunities to be in front of crowds, whether it’s for her to act, sing, or compete in debate. She recited “Mr. Darcy” by Victoria Chang, “Enough” by Suzanne Buffam, and “Learning to Read” by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

The competition was judged by Dr. Aaron Parrett of the University of Providence in Great Falls, poet and editor Kaisa Edy of Great Falls, former Montana Poet Laureate Mark Gibbons of Missoula, and Bozeman's Riley O'Toole of Shakespeare in the Parks. Current Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray of Frenchtown made introductory comments before competition began.

Next up for Jake Dunker: he’ll travel to Washington D.C. in early May to represent Montana in the National Poetry Out Loud Finals, in which he’ll compete for the top prize of $20,000 against students from every US state and territory. Celebrating its landmark 20th year, Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, and is administered by state arts agencies including the Montana Arts Council. Participation begins in schools, with teachers providing coaching and guidance in preparation for regional competitions which decide each year’s state finalists.

Montanans of all ages are invited to congratulate all of our Poetry Out Loud competitors and cheer Jake on as he competes in next month’s National Finals, which will will be broadcast on May 5 - 7 via the National Endowment for the Arts website: https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud