By Nicolette Borlaug, Staff Assistant, North Dakota Horizons
Every issue of North Dakota Horizons includes a calendar of events happening around the state. Here is one event you won’t find there that I continue to be involved with.
Starting in the eighth grade, I participated in high school speech competition. It was among the best experiences of my life, getting to meet students from all across the state, both Class A and B. I was especially happy each year to make it to the State Finals as well as two national speech tournaments. I'm pictured at left at the 2004 national tournament in Salt Lake City, along with my humorous duo partner Justin Welton from Washburn.
This time of the year, Class A and B students gather at two separate tournaments to compete. I am now among those who judge the students, which is a lot of fun, too.
The Class A State Speech tournament will be held this Saturday in Jamestown. The public is welcome to come and listen to students compete in a variety of categories, including: humorous, serious, poetry and dramatic interpretations, duos, storytelling, extemporaneous speaking, inform and persuade, entertain, radio and more.
Each round lasts about an hour, with contestants speaking for 6-8 minutes depending on their event. Some categories require original pieces the students wrote themselves, whereas others are the student's interpretation of a cutting from a book or play.
Anyone concerned about the future of our state and country, needs only to attend one of these meets. You will find hundreds of students who are bright, well-informed and articulate. You can feel good about our future, knowing that students are committed to being informed citizens, and know how to express themselves.
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