Individual speech contest is a crucible of pressure unlike any other acting feat. It is you, alone with a judge. North sent 31 theater kids to the small town of Nevada to show rural Iowa how polar bears perform. The high school was divided up into centers, down winding hallways and through crowded gymnasiums. The concession sold candy and nachos to starving students who were staked out in the cafeteria. There you would find lists of names and the mark of hard written roman numerals. Students waited anxiously all day. The Saturday was plagued with terrible weather that left students scrambling for time. Between 7am and 3pm, performers staked out their rooms and waited. And one by one, North students filed in and performed. At the end of the day, North had 16 performers going to state which is being held in Glenwood Iowa. But the following Tuesday, we received phenomenal news that one of our students who had originally been disqualified, had been wronged and was granted a trip to state as well!

The performers are as follows.

Michael Colon-Ramos – Storytelling
Esperanza Vargas – Acting
Rebekah Ostermann – Musical Theater
Guillermo Velasquez – Improv
Andrew Jero – Prose
Hatte Kelley – Poetry
Forrest Mathison – Expository Address
Iliana Castillo – Literary Program
Lee Lee Hill – Musical Theater
Danny Kanyavimonh – Improv
Savannah Van De Boe – Poetry
Melissa Sosa – Musical Theater
Hebelin Sanchez – Musical Theater
Leah Waughtal – Original Oratory
Michael Xayavong – Musical Theater
Bao Luong – Acting
Taylor McDaniel – Radio Broadcasting