Forty-Seven DMPS Students Qualify for State Speech Contest
Hundreds of students from Des Moines and throughout central Iowa gathered at East High School on Saturday for the Iowa High School Speech Association’s district contest. Students who scored a “I” at the district level are eligible to compete at the State competition.
“Learning to speak in front of others is one of the top skills we can teach kids. Confidence, poise, creativity, perseverance, teamwork, and self-confidence are all skills learned through participation in Iowa High School Speech Association events,” said Ginger Johnson, an English teacher at East who coordinated the district competition.
A total of 47 DMPS students, representing all five of the district’s comprehensive high schools, qualified for the State competition in a total of 57 events. The IHSSA State Contest is March 9 in Nevada, IA. A select number of competitors will then be selected to compete at the All-State speech event held at the University of Northern Iowa on March 25.
DMPS students who qualified for State, and their events, are listed below:
EAST HIGH SCHOOL
| Improvisation | Graham, PJ | Des Moines East |
| Original Oratory | Williamson, Katie | Des Moines East |
| Prose | Dassin, Dehkontee | Des Moines East |
| Prose | Johnson, Sharon | Des Moines East |
| Prose | Sahal, Amina | Des Moines East |
| Radio News | Hosman, Aaron | Des Moines East |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Biegger, Jake | Des Moines East |
| Solo Musical Theatre | McClure, Ben | Des Moines East |
| Storytelling | Fadel, Fatima | Des Moines East |
| Storytelling | Gamble, Wren | Des Moines East |
| Storytelling | Harrison, Queen | Des Moines East |
HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL
| Acting | Subasic, Lejla | Des Moines Hoover |
| Literary Program | Robinson, Samantha | Des Moines Hoover |
| Literary Program | Subasic, Lejla | Des Moines Hoover |
| Poetry | Jones, Madi | Des Moines Hoover |
| Poetry | Martin, Jenny | Des Moines Hoover |
| Poetry | Wolfe, Jordan | Des Moines Hoover |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Allen, Sydney | Des Moines Hoover |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Martin, Jenny | Des Moines Hoover |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Robinson, Samantha | Des Moines Hoover |
| Spontaneous Speaking | Wolfe, Jordan | Des Moines Hoover |
| Storytelling | Plain, Madelyn | Des Moines Hoover |
LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL
| Acting | Lippold Kerns, Matt | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Acting | Rehbein, Cole | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Improvisation | Aplin, Tabi | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Anastazie, Bukuru | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Die Filippone, Glori | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Johnson, Kevin | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Sides, Sam | Des Moines Lincoln |
| Storytelling | Aplin, Tabi | Des Moines Lincoln |
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
| Acting | Vargas, Esperanza | Des Moines North |
| Improvisation | Loung, Bao | Des Moines North |
| Improvisation | Ostermann, Rebekah | Des Moines North |
| Poetry | Lowe, Mikolina | Des Moines North |
| Poetry | Waughtal, Leah | Des Moines North |
| Solo Musical Theatre | McDaniel, Taylor | Des Moines North |
| Storytelling | Colon-Ramos, Michael | Des Moines North |
| Storytelling | VanDeBoe, Savannah | Des Moines North |
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
| Acting | Adams, Khalil | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Acting | Alexander, Elise | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Acting | Bredbeck, Connor | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Acting | Stavneak, Emily | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| After Dinner Speaking | Guderjahn, Claire | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Literary Program | Burke, Murphy | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Literary Program | Moreland, Hannah | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Literary Program | Stavneak, Emily | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Original Oratory | Alexander, Elise | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Original Oratory | Swinton, Zoe | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Poetry | Chasse, Jack | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Poetry | Narcisse, Integrity | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Poetry | Palmer-Chase, Madeline | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Prose | Burke, Murphy | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Prose | Sayeed, Amina | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Public Address | Moreland, Hannah | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Public Address | Rothwell, Cianna | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Solo Musical Theatre | Reed, Cal | Des Moines Roosevelt |
| Storytelling | Guderjahn, Claire | Des Moines Roosevelt |
