CHS Speech Team places in regional tournament, heads to state at NKU

Kentucky students from the Upper Kentucky River Region, an 11-county section of Eastern Kentucky, effectively wowed their audiences and fellow competitors at the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) Regional Speech Tournament, which was held Saturday, Feb. 3, at Knott County Central High School in Hindman.

The regional tournaments serve as qualifiers for the upcoming State Speech Tournaments. Kentucky’s seven regions hold these tournaments at both the Junior and Senior levels each year, and each qualifies students for the Junior State Speech Tournament (grades 4-8) or the Senior State Speech Tournament (grades 9-12) being held March 8-9 at Northern Kentucky University.

At each regional contest, regional champions and runners up are named in each of the 12 Junior and 14 Senior speech categories. Additionally, team awards are given to the top three teams in each of the regions.

Speech and Debate provides students with an opportunity to refine skills in public speaking, listening, and critical thinking by providing an arena for extracurricular competition in speech, drama and debate. These skills help students not only in the classroom but also in their future career paths.

Corbin High School placed runner-up in the Upper Kentucky Region School Sweepstakes. The winners from Corbin High School in the Regional Speech Tournament are as follows: Cassie Messer, a Junior at CHS, placed as Regional Champion in Poetry Interpretation for the second year in a row. The team of Bailyn Scent and Joshua Edwards, both Seniors at CHS placed as Regional Champions in Improvisational Duo. Senior, Samuel Price, placed as Regional Runner Up in Broadcast Announcing.

In addition to these Regional Champions and Runners Up, all 20 students from the Corbin High School Speech Team qualified to advance on to the State Tournament, including: Samuel Price (Impromptu Speaking), Bailyn Scent (Impromptu Speaking), Christian Prewitt (Broadcasting), Team of Samuel Price and Nehemiah Day (Improvisational Duo), Team of Audrey Orr and Ayden Ferguson (Improvisational Duo), Jackson Jones (Informative Speaking), Audrey Orr (Poetry Interpretation), Amy White (Extemporaneous Speaking), Madison North (Storytelling), Riley Lewis (Original Oratory), Serenity Loudin (Humorous Interpretation and Dramatic Interpretation), Emma Zilinksy (Dramatic Interpretation and Informative Speaking), the team of Ayden Ferguson and Audrey Orr (Improvisational Duo), Savannah James (Prose Interpretation), Jimmy Cavins (Extemporaneous Speaking), Chloe Walker (Duo Interpretation and Dramatic Interpretation), Phoebe Nedlo (Duo Interpretation and Declamation), and Jackson Lawson (Extemporaneous Speaking).

The CHS Speech and Debate Team is coached by Tara Prewitt and Sara Donahue.

The team had a special thank you for Daniel Noble, Missy Scent, Jeremiah Banks and Raegan Frost for their special help, as well as traveling as judges on behalf of the team.