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Austintown Fitch speakers celebrate successful year
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .In a local state meet, Ron DeAmicis (right) and Jacob Velasco (right) won big prizes for Austintown Speech and Debate. DeAmicis won second-place in the state in Lincoln-Douglass debate, and Velasco brought home a fifth-place prize in Prose Poetry. They showed off their prizes with their head coach, Andrea Folsom (center), before their Speech Night on March 24.
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Fitch’s Speech Night celebrated the team’s many wins throughout the 2010-2011 school year. They ended their speech season with the March 24 event and a group photo.
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Senior Leah Infante (right) and junior Dan Ferguson started out the show by performing their duo interpretation piece based on the plot of the movie “Shrek.”
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In her oratorical interpretation selection, Shilo Niehorster implored the audience to “Drink Your Milk.”
By SARAH FOOR
It’s not often that the stage at Fitch High School gets to host 45 students of many different talents all in one night.
On March 24, however, the Fitch Speech and Debate Team celebrated a year of success in local and state forensics competitions during its third annual Speech Night.
“Yes, we’ve done incredible this year, and everyone has worked really hard,” shared head coach Andrea Folsom. “We brought 27 students to our state tournament, which is the highest amount in our last few years. In our National Forensics League tournament, we won the leading chapter award, which is a wonderful honor.”
Fitch’s Speech Night celebrated the team’s standout performances in every grade, but particularly celebrated the team’s graduating seniors and the team’s state finalists.
Two students in particular were recognized for finishing in the top five in the state, including Ron DeAmicis, who placed second for Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Jake Velasco, who took fifth in Prose Poetry.
The night included performances from students in their respective events, showing thoughtful discussions on current domestic and international issues, poetry performances, and interpretations of movies like “Shrek” and the television show “How I Met Your Mother.”
“Along with Speech Night, we perform an Open Mic Day where the students perform throughout the day in our English classrooms. Both events help get the word out about us, and has helped our team grow,” Folsom shared.
“For students who only vaguely know what speech is, seeing that it can be about pop culture, and be current and important, is really a revelation.”
Although a certain amount of pressure is on for any performance, Folsom hoped the night offered her students a much-needed break.
“It’s really an ongoing process – after tonight, we have our banquet, but soon, we start tryouts for next year and work all summer. Speech Night should be pure fun for the team, showing what they’ve got without the pressure of competing,” Folsom said.