North High School junior Angela Wittrock.

North High School junior Angela Wittrock recently earned top honors at a forensics competition for students who are blind or visually impaired. In addition to being a student at North, Angela receives support from Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IESBVI). She was part of a team representing IESBVI that  performed in a live, virtual forensics competition hosted by the North Central Association of Schools for the Blind (NCASB). The IESBVI team finished first overall.

Angela helped lead the Iowa team’s top finish by earning her own first place win in poetry. “Rude Awakening” by Savannah Nemeth was the free-form poem she performed.

“It is from a rally about gun violence she felt reflected her own beliefs,” said IESBVI forensics coach Sheryl Thomsen. “She worked diligently each rehearsal to polish her piece, and it paid off for her with first place in the poetry category.”

“I was disappointed when I learned the competition would not be in person, but excited to have the chance to perform the speech I intended to perform the previous spring,” Angela said. COVID-19 caused the in-person competition to be postponed and provided time for the virtual event to be planned for this fall. “My poem was a very powerful piece and was definitely my favorite one I have performed.”

This was Angela’s fourth year participating in forensics. She participates in other IESBVI activities, including track and field, goalball, cheerleading, swimming. and the Braille Institute’s Braille Challenge.