Jasper County students performed well at the State Large Group Speech Competition on Saturday at Clear Creek Amana High School. The Speech students advanced to the state competition by earning Division I ratings at the Iowa High School Speech Association’s District Large Group Speech Contest in Pella on January 24th.
Three of seven state performances by Newton High School students earned overall Division I ratings. They included Paxton Panada in Solo Mime, the Musical Theatre group “Singin’ in the Rain” with Ben Magana, Zoey Soppe, and David Cope, and the Group Improv team of Ben Magana, Mathias Bloom, Jeffrey Cope, Ian Alexander, and Kaden Banwell. The Cardinals’ four other State performances received Division II ratings. They included the Musical Theatre group “Forever Plaid” with Mathias Bloom, Ian Alexander, Jeffery Cope, and Kaden Banwell; Reader’s Theatre group Zoey Soppe, Paxton Panada, Kathryn Earl, and Hannah Templeman; and Improve Groups Team Soppe with Miles Soppe, David Cope, Lucy Simon, Makenzie Clark; and Team McConkey with Natalie McConkey, Molly Overbay, Kayden Langston.
Four of five performances by PCM’s students captured Division I ratings. They were Reader’s Theatre with Addy Breckenridge, Brighton Ingle, Caleb Ingle, Hayden Pierson, Kynlee VanDerHart, Olivia Birkenholtz; Radio Broadcasting qualifiers include Brookelynn King, Emma Leedom, Liz Egland, London Ludwick, Rylan Edgington; Musical Theatre with Cade Burkett, Carter Dudley, Emilyn Davis, Piper Clark, Rylan Edgington; and Ensemble Acting with Addison Beener, Carter Dudley, and London Ludwick. Another Ensemble Acting performance by Brighton Ingle & Keira Stone received a Division II rating.
Baxter’s State Speech entries both produced Division I ratings in Readers Theatre with Bree Hopkins, Willow Grimes, Avery Wonders, Camden Moffit, Max Handorf, Piper Redman, Robert Richardson, Emily Winfield, and Kaitlyn Engle; and Radio Broadcasting with Avery Wonders, Camden Moffit, Callie Cross, Alivia Boike, Denver Sulzle.
For Colfax-Mingo, the Improv Group of Layne Keller, Selma Metz, and Zella Perry brought home a Division II rating.
Lynnville-Sully’s three students at the state speech competition, Tess Dunlap, Sadie Manatt, & Haleigh Hornbuckle, received a Division II rating in TV Newscasting.