Grinnell brings home 10 top honors from state speech contest

GRINNELL — Grinnell High School brought 18 groups to the State Large Group Contest held at Clear Creek Amana High School Saturday, Feb. 7.

This was one of four contests held across the state as part of the Iowa High School Speech Association contest series. Out of the 18 entries entered, 10 received overall Division I ratings and eight received overall Division II ratings.

Of the 18 entries, six groups were selected for All-State honors. Three of those groups will perform at the All-State Festival at Iowa State University Saturday, Feb. 21. The total number of students selected for All-State was 30 — over half of the entire team.

“From,” a Choral Reading, written and directed by Mr. Hosbond, was nominated for performance at All-State. It features Max Bartlett, Eli Boyd, Bailey Butler, Cameron Corey, Joey Junge, Lanie Kaup, Liam Lease, Lucy Lindberg, Sloane McDonough, Charlie Nicklas, Anna Schubert, Smith Skouson, Jonathan Solomon, Peyton Stensrud, and Peyton Stevenson and received a Division I rating.

GHS also brings two group mime teams to perform at the All-State Festival. “Ghosts (To Forgive)” is a piece written and directed by Hosbond with the ensemble. It features Bailey Butler, Cameron Corey, Jackson Hinkle, Lilly Madren, Lucy Skouson, and Peyton Stevenson.

“Tome of the Wylde,” co-written and directed by Ms. Collins and Hosbond with the ensemble, features Mallorie Arlint, Maniyah Coomer, River Haenfler, Lucy Lindberg, and Lucy Turley.

Three groups received nonperforming All-State recognition. The ensemble acting “Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson,” directed by Ms. Flinspach, features Mallorie Arlint, Nora Pedersen, and Alex Vogt.

In the musical theater, Hosbond’s “The Mad Ones,” featuring Joey Junge and Alex Vogt, was recognized, and in readers theater, “Human Is,” directed by Flinspach and featuring Eli Boyd, Aria Burrell, Penelope Fennell, River Haenfler, Charlie Karanja, Liam Lease, Anna Lindberg, Lilly Madren, Charlie Nicklas, Jonathan Solomon, Amelia Wolken, and Ruby Zimsen-Campe, was recognized.

Several events received overall Division II ratings at the contest, mainly in the digital, prerecorded categories. The film team of Max Bartlett, Owen Benz, Mikhail Ratcliff, and Holden Smith presented “Bro Bro” which received a Division II rating, as did the film “Facts Vs Fears” by Gabe Bahrenfuse, Lizzy Flowers, Mathew Glascoe, Ty McIntyre, and Scarlett Wright.

The radio broadcast “News Flash: The World Is Ending” by Trycer Arends, Gabe Bahrenfuse, and Brennen Rasmussen earned a Division II for their recording. The television news “Slang TV,” featuring ninth graders Maniyah Coomer, Sadie Johnson, Rosie Leasure and Elliott Squier, received a Division II rating.

Receiving a Division II rating in group improv were the teams of Charlie Karanja, Hanna McCue, Rowan Ostby and Slane McCue and Athen Schubert, as well as the musical theater entry “The Pajama Game” featuring Ben Davis, Elisabeth Kelley-Chown, Anna Lindberg, Sloane McDonough, Nora Pedersen, Thea Sherman, Lucy Skouson and Ruby Zimsen-Campe.

In solo mime, Jackson Hinkle received a Division II for “The Origin.”

Along with the All-State nominated entries, a few other GHS events received Division I ratings at the State contest, including a live action adaptation of "The God Man” by Sam Hatcher and Smith Skouson.

The ensemble acting scene “The Tempest,” featuring Liam Crites, Cyrus Dobe, and Norah Nicol also earned a Division I, as did the musical theater piece “Waitress” featuring Lanie Kaup, Frances Pedersen, Anna Schubert, Athen Schubert, and Peyton Stensrud.

Pedersen and Turley received a Division I rating in group improv.