(RED BANK / MARCH 12, 2025): Hadassah Broughton, a sophomore from Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, was named State Champion at the 2025 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud State Finals, part of the National Poetry Out Loud recitation program. The adjudication took place on March 12th at Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ. 

Hadassah will represent New Jersey at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington D.C. on May 5-7th, 2025. State Champions will compete for the national Poetry Out Loud title and the chance to win prizes, including college scholarships.

Ethan Buchanan, a freshman from Union County Vocational-Technical School Academy for the Performing Arts in Scotch Plains earned the title of State Runner-Up.

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. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the 55 state and jurisdictional arts agencies.

“The Count Basie Center was once again honored to have hosted all of this year’s Poetry Out Loud finalists from across the Garden State,” said Adam Philipson, President and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “It’s inspiring to witness these students and the work they put into reciting these poems and expressing themselves creatively in an age where expression is increasingly questioned. We’re proud to partner with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in presenting this annual event, and we look forward to watching Hadassah represent New Jersey in the national competition in May.”  

The State Finals was the culmination of a statewide initiative that began in the fall of 2024 and included 12,314 New Jersey students from 71 high schools and organizations across the state.

“Congratulations to all of the students who participated in this year’s New Jersey Poetry Out Loud program. It was another inspiring year of remarkable talent and dedication,” said Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. “And thank you to the educators, administrators, family members, and friends who supported the students and the program from start to finish. The collective belief in the power of these students and their voices is why this program is able to succeed. We are excited for State Champion Hadassah to represent New Jersey on the national stage in Washington D.C.!”

Congratulations to all who participated, including the regional finalists:

• Mame Traore from Lincoln High School in Jersey City
• Kelechi Oriaku from Passaic County Technical Institute STEM Academy in Wayne
• Evelynn Knox  from Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands
• Meera Iyer from Morristown Beard School in Morristown
• Michaela Giuliani from Vineland High School in Vineland
• Emilio Galvan from Burlington City High School in Burlington City
• Jake Fredericks from Red Bank Regional High School in Red Bank
• McKenzie Finn from Cedar Creek High School in Egg Harbor City
• Bianca Diez from Morris County School of Technology in Denville
• Ethan Buchanan from Union County Vocational-Technical School Academy for the Performing Arts in Scotch Plains
• Hadassah Broughton from Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton
• Torajah Broadway from Newark Vocational High School in Newark

For more information about New Jersey Poetry Out Loud and the National Finals, visit www.njpol.org. A video of the New Jersey Poetry Out Loud State Finals will be posted on NJPOL’s YouTube page in the coming weeks.

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ABOUT THE COUNT BASIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas. The Basie mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity.

ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council believes the arts are central to every element we value most in a modern society including: human understanding; cultural and civic pride; strong communities; excellent schools; lifelong learning; creative expression; and economic opportunity. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

ABOUT NEW JERSEY POETRY OUT LOUD

New Jersey Poetry Out Loud is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Count Basie Center for the Arts. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program, led by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the state and jurisdictional arts agencies across the country. In New Jersey, the State Arts Council and the Basie work with a growing network of regional partners to implement the program statewide.