BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Something special is happening on the Mahomet-Seymour High School speech team.
Teenage students are finding a place where they can use their voices.
Savannah Smith decided to get involved in Speech her sophomore year because a few friends told her about the fun they had during the 2018-19 season.
“I have also always been told that public speaking is ‘my thing’ by teachers and friends. So I went to the first informational meeting, and the description for ‘Impromptu speaking’ immediately caught my eye, so I figured that I’d give it a shot,” Smith said.
An active teenager, Smith wasn’t sure how practices would fit into her schedule. But with a flexible practice schedule, she has been able to work with her teammates on her delivery.
“I feel like I’ve also come a long way in my speaking abilities,” she said. “On the first practice, I was struggling to even come up with any ideas to brainstorm through. Now, I can pretty much explain my way through any quote that gets thrown at me. If that’s not crazy improvement, then I don’t know what is.”
Fellow classmate Penny Sheridan said that being part of the speech team helps participants understand how to craft their messages so that people listen.
“It’s really up to you as to what you choose to speak about,” Sheridan said. “If you don’t like memorizing things, you can choose prose or maybe radio. If you want to share your opinions, you can choose to write your own speech, like in SOS.”
Through Friday practices, sophomore Nick Harfst has learned how to become a better speaker.
“(Speech) has helped me grow as a public speaker because it has given me the tools to improve my body language and the way I speak,” he said.
Sophomore Mallory Fonte said her Original Comedy routine is something that has taken a bit of time to perfect.
“I’m known to be quite a humorous person, so I thought I’d give writing my own skit a try,” Fonte said. “I also wrote my own speech last year, so putting it together came naturally.
“The hardest part was trying to figure out how to portray each character. In an original comedy, it’s a one-woman show. I have to really focus on making each character different and stand out individually.”
But senior Zoe Hovde, who is the team captain, has learned more than speaking skills.
Her performance, “ The Actor’s Nightmare” won “Best In Show” at the 2020 Mahomet-Seymour Variety Show Sunday performance.
“(We) learn how to interpret the writing pieces we perform and also convey the emotions we want the audience to feel.”
Hovde is excited to showcase the 16-member Mahomet-Seymour speech team to the community on Feb. 13 from 5-8 p.m. at the MSHS library.
Students will perform their competition pieces, as well as receiving awards and recognition for their progress through the season.
Freshmen Madison Ade, who has competed in Original Comedy, Original Oratory, Impromptu, and Poetry said that feedback is essential to helping her work out some little kinks, but most importantly speech is a safe place to work out the kinks.
“Something I really like about speech team is how close we all are,” Ade said. “With a lot of other activities, everyone always says ‘Oh yeah, we’re like a family’ and it’s never true. I really feel like the people on speech team are my family. The team has also helped me make a lot of new friends, and it’s just been an overall great experience.”
Junior Joshua Parks said that the experience has given him a new perspective on speaking.
“I would like people to not let fear hold them back, and have the courage to join a team who will support them to accomplish their goals,” he said.
Audrey Boateng, a sophomore, believes that with the momentum the speech team has made this season, it will continue to grow.
“Personally, it’s really helped me get a grasp on how I am as an individual performer and what I can do to amplify my presentation in my categories,” she said.
The Mahomet-Seymour Speech team will showcase its performances Feb. 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Mahomet-Seymour Library. Guests can come and go as needed.
5:00 p.m. – Welcome, Certificates for students earning five or more points
5:05 – Madison OC
5:15 – Joshua RADIO
5:20 – Kylie HI
5:30 – Averhy DEC
5:40 – Joshua & Jenna HDA
5:45 – Miranda POETRY
5:55 – Zoe HI
6:00 – Nick INFO
6:10 – Audrey PROSE
6:15 – Madison OO
6:25 – Penny and Miranda IMPROMPTU
6:30 – Short break
6:35 – Kiana HI
6:45 – Miranda DI
6:55 – Mallory OC
7:00 – Kylie POETRY
7:10 – Tadeo SOS
7:20 – Zoe & Kiana DDA
7:25 – Madison POETRY
7:30 – Averhy PROSE
7:40 – Savannah, Mallory, Madison IMPROMPTU
7:55 – Varsity Letter presentations and Speech Pin presentation
