Mount Vernon and Lisbon High School speech teams are gearing up for the beginning of the large group speech season.
Mount Vernon’s speech team has a total of 57 students out for large group speech, with 24 different groups competing.
“Each year we are provided with a mixture of visible and unknown variables that we struggle with, but as usual we have found a way to endure whatever comes our way,” said Grant Freeman, head coach for large group speech.
This year has seen a larger coaching team helping the youth. The team includes Freeman, Tawnua Tenley (head individual events coach), Ned Kelly (assistant coach), and Zak Moran (assistant coach).
The team also instituted a student coaching program, where seniors who want to coach can help. This year Tessa Baty and Lydia Benesh coach a musical theatre piece, Anna Hoffman and Piper Price a musical theatre and Natalie Spinsby a freshman choral reading program.
Freeman noted that his favorite experience comes in the small moments when students start to recognize their own capacity for creativity.
“All our students have tremendous talent and only need the safe space to unlock those talents,” Freeman said.
When it comes to pieces he’s looking forward to this year, he named the choral reading “13:36; Or How I Haven’t Seen Barbados” is a piece he is proud off.
“It’s a really difficult piece that combines elements of dance, musical numbers, and live painting to tell a difficult story of sexual assault,” Freeman said. “The piece was inspired after I read Fredrik Bachman’s Beartown this past summer.”
He also says the pieces directed by the students are things people should seek out.
“When working with student coaches, I will go into their rehearsals and take notes, but only ever give the notes to the coaches,” Freeman said. “I want the group to feel like their student coaches are the ones in charge.”
The first contest for Mount Vernon will be Monday, Jan. 17, when the students perform at home in front of local speech judges. District speech meet is at Monticello Saturday, Jan. 22, and state at Cedar Rapids Kennedy Feb. 5.
Freeman notes his goals are to inspire students to see beyond their limits of their current imaginations.
“When I started coaching, I had dreams of winning State Championship banners and going to All State a record number of times and making art that most coaches wouldn’t dream of coaching — Thank goodness that I no longer coach this way,” Freeman said. “Every time a student performs they are making art. My goal, my only goal is to help enrich the lives of students by presenting them with all the possibilities that a love of theatre can unlock.”
LisbonLisbon has a total of 40 students in large group speech this year, with a total of nine events competing at district and conference contests.
“This year’s preparation has been going well,” said Ellen Johanns, head speech coach. “Luckily, we haven’t had to contend with weather just yet, so most of our practices have happened as scheduled, and our students have been showing up ready to work.”
She said the musical theatre group this year is one everyone should see.
“One of the participants suggested the material (scenes from the musical Something Rotten!), and this group has so much energy,” Johnanns said. “We’ve also got two short films with some cool cinematography I’ve not seen kids execute before in my time coaching.”
Lisbon’s first contest is at the Tri-Rivers Contest this Saturday at Marquette. Then, they’re on to district contest at Monticello Saturday, Jan. 22, and state at Cedar Rapids-Kennedy Saturday, Feb. 5.
“My goal is always to prepare performances that kids are proud of,” Johanns said. “Whatever the ratings may be, I want kids to learn something and come back out the next year.”