Speech and Debate finished the year off with a celebratory picnic by the pond on Friday, May 17. The event was “planned by the team captains Kailey Jourdan and Katrina Burbey,” according to junior Ryan Blosser.  Freshmen Malinah Jerscheid added “the picnic was to hand our awards and celebrate all of our wins this year.”

  At the event, the captains for the 2019-20 team were announced; the senior captain will be Katrina Burbey and the junior team captain is Taylor Mason,” according to Jerscheid.

    Blosser commented that the picnic atmosphere “is very laid back and is almost like a party.” Jerscheid said that they ate immense amounts of food, played games and played with the barn animals.

    The picnic was a good time to relax, laugh and reflect on all their memories from going to competitions during the year, Jerscheid stated. The team has this picnic annually and will be continuing their tradition according to Jerscheid.

    This school year, members of the team commented that they had a very successful year. “We had a lot of people place at county finals this year. According to Blosser, “My personal achievements were placing first place in County Championship for team debate with Heather King as my partner.”

    “We are one big family. We are always helping each other, giving everyone support, spending time together, and just always being there for one another,” Blosser commented. “Who stood out to me this year was Katrina Burbey, as she was always happy, conversing with other teams, and competing the hardest.”

  “Speech and debate is an incredible club. It allows so many fantastic resources to be utilized by students from public speaking skills, to building confidence,” said Blosser. “Some of my best friends are people that I’ve met through speech and debate.”

Jerscheid, a new member of the Hawks Speech and Debate team,  commented that, “When I started high school, I was a little introverted and was nervous speaking to anyone. Joining Speech and Debate really helped me break out of my shell and it exposed me to a lot of new things.”

     Freshman Erica Otte was also reflecting on her year in the club during the picnic. “I decided to join because I had trouble speaking up at times and I would say that it helped me. Even though it was very competitive and frustrating at times, it was still fun and helpful!”

     The team had a large number of wins this year, and they hope to win even more with the help of new recruits and Blosser added that they are one big fun group and welcoming to anyone.