The Chesterton High
School Speech and Debate team hosted its annual “Skeffington Memorial”
Speech Invitational last weekend. Ten schools, bringing 250 individual
entries, attended the tournament.
The CHS speakers
had a very competitive showing, winning 7 of the 14 events offered. The top
six speakers in each event were recognized at the awards ceremony.
Leading the team
was junior Alan Stirling who, for the second weekend in a row, won both
dramatic interpretation and programmed oral interpretation (POI). Stirling
was the only CHS varsity champion of the day. However, 5 of the team's 7
tournament champions were in the novice division, making the Chesterton
novices the real stars of the weekend.
Novice tournament
champions included freshman Alora Dustin, in international extemporaneous
speaking, freshman Celia Faroh, in informative speaking, and juniors George
Tracy and Nathan Mullin, in original performance.
Taking top honors
in the novice division were freshman Heidi Boltze, in humorous
interpretation, and junior Sadie Kidd, in programmed oral interpretation
(POI).
The Chesterton team
had an outstanding day, due in large part to the number of tournament
champions being mirrored by the exact same number of tournament runner-ups.
Taking second place in varsity original performance was junior Max Winski.
Other runners-up included junior Owen Cowsert, in varsity broadcasting, the
freshman team of Ellery Brunt and Liz Hibshman, in novice duo
interpretation, sophomore Mattea Sklut, in novice broadcasting, and
freshman, Natalie Nu–ez in novice poetry reading.
Taking second place
and following Tracy and Mullin in novice original performance was senior
Gabi Castro. Following Faroh in novice informative speaking was freshman
Kaitlyn Papka, in second.
The team also
demonstrated some depth in a number of other novice events. Following the
runner up, Nu–ez, was freshman Dylan Leavitt, placing third in novice poetry
reading. In novice broadcasting, Sklut was followed by freshman Jackson
Syren, junior Alexis Tarnow, and freshman Connor Potesta, placing third,
fourth, and fifth, respectively. Finishing behind Castro in novice original
performance was sophomore Lucy Novreske in fifth place.
Other varsity
members to qualify for the final round of competition and place among the
top six was junior Anekah Fish, placing third in varsity prose reading. The
junior team of Indigo Loving and Max Winski were fifth in varsity duo
interpretation. Loving also placed third in varsity humorous interpretation.
Sophomore Anna Sanders was fourth in varsity original oratory, and finishing
behind Stirling in varsity dramatic interpretation was sophomore Lily
Roberts, in sixth place.
“The team did
extremely well today. Overall we had 24 finalists and 14 of those 24
finished in either first or second place. It is still very early in the
season, but with results like this, the team is certainly on its way toward
a great year,” said Coach Kathy Hadley.
As the host school,
CHS did not take a team trophy. First place went to Fishers with 135 points,
followed closely by Culver Academies with 131 points. Third place went to
Plymouth with 127 points, fourth to Munster with 98 points, and fifth to
Valparaiso with 69 points.
Scores of parents
and former students helped with judging and hospitality. Coaches Eric
Schaefer and Dakota McCoy gave a special thanks to Claire Muller for her
amazing work in organizing the parents’ hospitality and concession
committees.
The team will be
split next weekend, with the bulk of CHS speakers competing locally at
Bishop Noll while a few select varsity members head off to The Glenbrooks
National Circuit Tournament, in Chicago.