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Fitch speech team reflects on successful year
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The Fitch 2011-2012 Speech Team gathered for a team photo before the start of their March 27 Speech Night.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Janell Verdream performed a portion of “Answer with Passion” by Staci MacDougall as part of her speech event, Oratorical Interpretation, during Fitch Speech Night on March 27.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During a state speech tournament in early March, a group of Fitch students excelled in their respective events. They include Juliana Figueroa (far left), who placed in the top 24 in Lincoln-Douglass debate, Lauran Ferguson, who placed sixth in the state in prose poetry, and Dan Ferguson and Jake Clasen (right), who finished in the top 12 in Duo Interpretation. The posed with their head speech coach, Andrea Folsom (center) during their Speech Night on March 27.
By SARAH FOOR
Since 2009, the Fitch Speech and Debate team has closed its competition season with the annual Speech Night. The fourth Speech Night on March 27 offered students and team leadership the chance to reflect on the past season and look forward to future triumphs.
The 2011-2012 season featured accolades for team leadership, individual competitors and the team as a whole.
During a March 1-3 state tournament in Canton, the team earned a fifth-place finish and 11 students finished in the top five, top 12 and top 24 at the state competition.
Throughout its entire season, the Fitch team has consistently finished in the top five or better at each tournament. Along with state and national qualifying turns by Fitch students, the team’s leadership was honored with multiple coaching awards from the National Forensics League and distinctions on the local and state level.
Head speech coach Andrea Folsom said the season has been an exciting ride.
“All year, we’ve said that this is a senior-led, sophomore-powered team. With so many sophomores joining us, it’s been great to see a young team excel, and we’re looking forward to some prosperous years ahead,” Folsom said.
Speech Night offered the team’s 21 state qualifiers the chance to show the community, parents and fellow students performances in their respective events. The show included discussions on current domestic and international issues, debate, poetry and interpretations of movies like “West Side Story” and the television show “How I Met Your Mother.”
“Tonight is a chance to let the students shine. The speech year ends here, so it may be the last time some students perform their pieces. It’s a time-consuming, but endlessly rewarding sport, and these students are so dedicated. Celebrating them is a great way to end the year,” Folsom added.