Winslow High students win state speech competition championships

Two Winslow High School competitors earned state championships at the annual Forensics League of Arizona Winter Trophy Tournament. Emmett Foster is the State Champion in Dramatic Interpretation. He presented "Flanders" by Patricia Anthony, a story told from the point of view of a young soldier in the trenches of World War I. Brittany Fischer and Emmett Foster are State Champions in Duo Acting. Their selection "The Speech" is a humorous depiction of the effects of stage fright.

Three other Winslow students broke in to the finals round and took home fourth place trophies for their events: Mardo Lewis, Humor; Allen Messer, Expository Speaking; Kaylee Smith, Original Oratory.

Twelve of twenty competitors broke into semi-finals: Seth Jenning, Dramatic Interp; Ashley McLaws, Prose; Katelynn Parrish, Prose and Poetry; Daniel Lane and Nathaniel Renny, Duo Interpretation; and Nathaniel Renny, Poetry. Three students ranked in the top ten percent of preliminary rounds: Clinton Contreras, Dramatic Interp, Luke McCaulley, Dramatic Interp, and Lexi Sievers, Original Oratory.

The Winter Trophy Tournament took place at Cactus High School in Glendale, Ariz. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Twenty-two 1 A, 2 A, 3 A, and 4 A high schools participated in the tournment. More than 300 students from schools state-wide competed in this annual event.

In addition to their trophies, Brittany Fischer and Emmett Foster will receive scholarships upon graduation.

Sarah Smithson and Marianne Richardson coach the Winslow High School Speech Team with the assistance of volunteers Cassie Shumacher, Jean Glenn and Chris Card.