The New York Mills speech team recently competed in their first speech meet of the season, which was held in Underwood. 

Payton Lausten advanced to the final round (top six) in Prose and placed fourth with her interpretation of All the Rage by Courtney Summers, which follows a high school student’s journey toward healing after a sexual assault.

Alexander Mack advanced to the next-in final round (top 12) in Extemporaneous Speaking and placed fifth. In this event, Mack draws a random question related to domestic or international politics and has 30 minutes to research and prepare a seven-minute speech responding to the prompt.

Anastasia Stout advanced to the next-in final round (top 12) in Prose Interpretation and placed sixth with her interpretation of I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. The memoir follows a former child-star actress as she comes to understand how her disordered eating developed under the intense control and expectations of her mother.

Marissa Uselman earned an Excellence rating in Extemporaneous Reading. In this event, Uselman draws a random excerpt and has 30 minutes to craft a written introduction and practice reading the selection for performance. This year’s prose excerpts are taken from Dan Gemeinhart’s The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, which follows a young girl traveling across the country with her father.

Elijah Geiser earned an Excellence rating in Poetry with his interpretation of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Though Whitman wrote the poem in the 1850s, Geiser’s performance reclaims it for today, challenging the way we glorify America while overlooking the diverse Americans who make it.

Wolfgang Kawlewski earned an Excellence rating in Humor with his interpretation of Carl Williams’s monologue, “The Boys at IHOP,” in which Dracula and the Kawlewski stop in for a late-night meal—only to be completely ignored by a clueless waitress.

In addition to the varsity team, the junior high speech team recently competed in a meet in Parkers Prairie. 

Izzy Felix placed third in Informative Speaking with an informative speech she wrote about barrel racing. Barrel racing is a fast-paced, high-risk, female-dominated sport that demands precision, trust and split-second decision-making between rider and horse.

Annabelle Specht placed fourth in Original Oratory with a persuasive speech she wrote arguing that poetry remains relevant—and necessary—in the 21st century. Her speech challenges the idea that poetry is outdated, and instead shows how it helps people make sense of the modern world and gives language to complex emotions.

Anastasia Stout placed second (losing the tie-break for first) with her interpretation of I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. The memoir follows a former child-star actress as she comes to understand how her disordered eating developed under the intense control and expectations of her mother.

Marissa Uselman placed fifth in Extemporaneous Reading. In this event, Uselman draws a random excerpt and has 30 minutes to craft a written introduction and practice reading the selection for performance. This year’s prose excerpts are taken from Dan Gemeinhart’s The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, which follows a young girl traveling across the country with her father.

Adison Campana earned an Excellence rating in Discussion. In this event, Campana works in a group (up to eight contestants) to solve a task or produce an agreed-upon outcome—often a shared statement of policy, rationale, or list. This year’s discussion tasks focus on finding community in a fragmented and divided society.

Brigid Stout earned an Excellence rating in Informative Speaking with an informative speech she wrote about the Radium Girls, the factory workers in the early 20th century who painted watch dials with radium-laced paint and suffered severe health effects as a result. Her speech highlights the story’s relevance today, reminding us of the ongoing need for workplace safety, consumer product regulations, and corporate accountability.

Wolfgang Kawlewski earned an Excellence rating in Humor with his interpretation of Carl Williams’s monologue, “The Boys at IHOP,” in which Dracula and the Kawlewski stop in for a late-night meal—only to be completely ignored by a clueless waitress.