Washburn speech knows how to clean house
By Danielle Abbott
"I am really proud of the kids. They really, really came through and did a good job, and I am so proud of them," said Washburn’s head speech coach, Vickie Mayer. She has a lot to be proud about, as Washburn recently dominated the Region VII competition, raking in individual, team and even coaching awards. The competition was the final meet before the North Dakota State Speech Competition on April 25. The Region VII tournament was held in Washburn, and after a long and extensive day of speech in numerous different categories, their hard work paid off for the entire team. Throughout the season, students in grades seven through 12 have been able to secure seats in the state meet. For those placing first and second in some events, their future at state was already secure, but for those who hadn’t already locked their advancement, this meet was a make-or-break event. Garrison-Max, Center-Stanton, Hazen, Turtle Lake-Mercer, Underwood, Shiloh Christian, New Salem and HMB made their way to Washburn for the competition. As the awards ceremony went underway late Thursday night, Washburn had students representing 32 categories in the finals. When the last speaker gave their presentation, the final scores were totaled and the students had waited with stomachs clinched with nerves and butterflies, a total of ten Washburn students received their advancement to the state competition.
