PCM High School’s extracurricular speech team has recently begun practices in preparation for the upcoming competition season. Speech is currently being coached by Janice Davis and Brooke Grett. Both are looking forward to a great season, and they are feeling confident about the categories the team is working on. Grett says, “We are feeling really good about the categories we have entered. We have three different categories for large groups which include improv, musical theater, and ensemble– and that’s probably the least amount of categories we’ve ever had before, but it will give us more time to work on them” when asked about the categories they have chosen to perform this year. Students involved in the program are also very excited about the beginning of the season.
Students are allowed to participate in two of the three categories at their district competition in January. For the team to advance to the state competition they must receive a division one rating at districts. Following the State competition would be the All-State competition if they advance that far.
Junior Max Kimball has taken the initiative to write his own piece for this competition season. He has chosen to only participate in one category this year so that he can focus on his own piece. The piece that Max has written will be performed in the ensemble category and he describes the piece by saying, “ ‘I Can’t Do It Anymore’ is a short ensemble acting piece that takes place in the current day and illustrates a scene with two characters, April and Jack. These two are a young married couple who face struggles in their relationship. The scene displays the final argument between the two before their rocky marriage falls apart. Inspired by scenes from movies such as Blue Valentine, Marriage Story, and Revolutionary Road this acting piece is full of ups and downs and heart-wrenching emotions” and he will be starring in the piece with senior Jordan VanderWerf.
The team has a good variety of grades and students participating in all three categories. Davis and Grett both have the goal of making it to the second level of competition by making it to State and eventually proceeding to the All-State competition. All competition aside, Grett says, “The main goal is of course to just have fun” and that is the main focus for the team as a whole.