Speech team advances 16 to state tournament

FAIRMONT — On Friday, April 14, twenty-nine participants of the Fairmont Speech Team competed at The MSHSL Section 2A Speech Tournament hosted by Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School.

In team sweepstakes, Fairmont Speech was the MSHSL Section 2A team champion with 164 points and St. Clair was the Section 2A team runner-up with 86 points.

Fairmont Speech placed 19 speech competitors in the top 6 of the 13 speech categories, which counts toward the team sweepstakes total and earns each competitor a section finalist medal. To advance to state speech, a competitor needs to place among the top 3 in their individual speech category. Fairmont advanced 16 speech competitors to the MSHSL Class A State Speech Tournament.

Individual Section 2A Champions and advancing to state are: Senior Lauren Wheeler in creative expression; sophomores, Grace Simpson and Oliver Thedens in duo interpretation; sophomore Dominick Lund-May in extemporaneous speaking; junior Isaiah Lockwood in great speeches; and sophomore Kelsey Hunter in informative speaking.

Individual 2nd place finalists and advancing to state are: Senior Solveig Senf in discussion; junior Andrew Haefner in extemporaneous speaking; freshman Thomas Hamlet in humorous interpretation; senior Lilly Laven in informative speaking; sophomore Alayna Haefner in original oratory; and freshman Bel Lutterman in prose.

Individual 3rd place finalists and advancing to state are: Junior Selvin Forsythe in dramatic interpretation; 8th grader Leon Yang in humorous interpretation; junior Sydney Blomster in informative speaking; and junior Abi Peyman in original oratory.

Individual 4th place finalist was senior Christian Thom in humorous interpretation. Individual 5th place finalist was freshman Levi Loughmiller in extemporaneous speaking. Individual 6th place finalist was senior Sasha Franzen in Creative Expression.

The MSHSL Class A State Speech Tournament takes place Friday, April 29, at Eastview High School in Apple Valley. The Fairmont Speech Team is coached by Kathleen Walker, Erik Walker and Miles Duffey.