Area speech students will perform in the Iowa High School Speech Association Individual Contest this weekend in Cedar Rapids.

Dozens of performers from Pella, Knoxville, Pella Christian, PCM, Melcher-Dallas, and Twin Cedars will showcase their skills in individual improv, prose, poetry, acting, musical theatre, reader’s theatre, and more. The speech festival takes place at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School.

Any students earning a Division I Superior Rating advance to state.
PELLA:
Grace Larson – After Dinner – I
Isaac Zeimetz – Improv – I
Connor Gauley – Improv – I
Kaleb Nguyen – Prose – I
Zoe Card – Literary Program I
Allison Clark – Review – I
Will Rasmussen – Radio News – I
Natalie Henry – Solo Musical Theatre – I
Travis Mitchell – After Dinner – I
Will Rasmussen – Improv – I
Hanna Kendall – Prose – I
Ethan Vance – Literary Program – I
Luigi Lopez – Storytelling – I
Connor Gauley – After Dinner – I
Caroline Henry – Prose – I
Kaleb Nguyen – After Dinner – I
Jack Stratton – Radio News – I
Taylor Decious – Solo Musical Theatre – I
Michael Schildroth – Solo Musical Theatre – I
Grace Larson – Review – I
Ethan Vance – Improv – I
Abygail Schuring – Solo Musical Theatre – I
Liam Peffers – Literary Program – I
Brenna Hildebrand – Acting – I
Elaine Schippers – Poetry – I
Elizabeth Lovell – Poetry – I
Isaac Zeimetz – Acting – I

PELLA CHRISTIAN:
PCHS students earning the I’s at the District event include: Ryan Van Gilst (Prose and Musical Theatre), Alexis De Vries (Poetry and Lit Program), Thomas Dykstra (Musical Theatre), Mitaya Williams (Storytelling and Lit Program), Tyler Egesdal (Musical Theatre and Storytelling), Lindsay Breon (Storytelling), Emma Stravers (Acting), Abby Ambroson (Poetry), Patrick Strang (Poetry), Dawson Ford (Review), Halie Vermillion (After Dinner), Abigail Gosselink (Prose), Emily Van Beek (Prose).
KNOXVILLE:
Musical Theatre – Katelynn Collins – I
Original Oratory – Asa Leonard – I
Original Oratory – Bree Burton – I
Original Oratory – Nyan Baker – I
Spontaneous Speaking – Tierney Heffron – I
Spontaneous Speaking – Nyan Baker – I
Spontaneous Speaking – Asa Leonard – I
Expository Address – David Balush – I
Poetry – Taylor Wyss – I
Poetry – Alaina Gerdes – I
Prose – Taylor Wyss – I

PCM:
Alex Inskeep with a Literary Program entitled “Finding Our Way”–Division I
Sydney Burns with a Musical Theatre entitled “She Used to be Mine”–Division I
Magan Van Haaftan with Poetry Reading entitled “Welcome to America and The Fire’s Still Burning”–Division I
Blake VanDerKamp with Acting entitled “Sweeping”–Division I
Madeline Buys with Musical Theatre entitled “Summer in Ohio”–Division I
Jacob Cox with Improvisation–Division I
Brenden VanderPool with Improvisation–Division I
Jacob Cox with Spontaneous Speaking–Division I
Payton Konek with Public Address entitled “March for Life”–Division I
Jared Smith with Spontaneous Speaking–Division I
Carson Clark with After Dinner Speaking entitled “Why do People Say Ouch?”–Division I
Madeline Ladehoff with Storytelling entitled “Lamb to the Slaughter”–Division I

TWIN CEDARS:
Hunter McCombs I-Rating in Radio News & Improv (State Qualifier Both)
Anna Lopez I-Rating Radio News (State Qualifier)
Casandra Whitlow I-Rating Poerty/II-Rating Prose (State Qualifier Poetry)
Christian Goemaat I-Rating Improv/II-Rating Spontaneous Speaking (State Qualifier Improv)/(Second Year Going to State)

MELCHER-DALLAS:
Evan Putz- I Rating – Prose
J’Lyn Knutson- I Rating – Poetry
Elizabeth Milburn- I Rating – Poetry
Sarah Hyatt- I Rating – Acting
Sarah Hyatt- I Rating – Storytelling
Abby Tadder- I Rating – Reviewing