Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Mount Ayr Community high school speech contestants who qualified for state at the district contest included, front row, from left: Allison WALLACE, Maggie JENNETT, Desirae TRAMMEL, Derek HAND and Megan DOUBLEDAY. Second row, from left: Leah KLEJCH, Kylee KLOMMHAUS, Taylor LYNCH, Matt POORE, Ben SAVILLE, Dawson KNAPP and Alex SOBOTKA. Third row, from left: Joey TAYLOR, Braydee POORE, Jacob SOBOTKA, Tyler TRIGGS, Johnathan TRIGGS, Dusty LYDEN, Taylor STILL, Matt KERNS and Ethan POLLOCK.

The Diagonal group improvisation team includes from left: Ryan PARROTT, Dom BUCHANAN and Brice STILL

All five of the large group speech contest entries from Mount Ayr Community high school and one from Diagonal high school received division I ratings and advanced to state following the district speech contest held Saturday, Jan. 21 in Osceola.

The MAC speech team included two group improvisation entries, two radio broadcast entries and a short film entry.

Advancing from Diagonal was a group improvisation team.

The students will advance to the state contest to be held Saturday, Feb. 4, at Ankeny high school in Ankeny.

There were two MAC group improvisation teams qualifying. The first team included Joey TAYLOR, Johnathan TRIGGS, Jacob SOBOTKA, Braydee POORE and Matt KERNS. On the other team was Taylor STILL, Maggie JENNETT, Allison WALLACE, Matt POORE and Tyler TRIGGS.

Qualifying in group improvisation from Diagonal was the team of Ryan PARROTT, Dom BUCHANAN and Brice STILL.

Two radio broadcast teams from MACHS also advanced. The KSBO radio broadcast team included Alex SOBOTKA, Matt KERNS, Joey TAYLOR, Desirae TRAMMELL and Taylor LYNCH. The MKIS radio show included Maggie JENNETT, Taylor STILL, Allison WALLACE, Leah KLEJCH, Dawson KNAPP and Ben SAVILLE. A new contest piece this year is short film and the Raider team advanced here as well. Alex SOBOTKA, Desirae TRAMMELL, Taylor LYNCH, Matt POORE, Ethan POLLOCK, Derek HAND, Megan DOUBLEDAY, Kylee KLOMMHAUS and Dusty LYDEN put the film together. Diagonal had three other groups participating that received division II ratings.The two radio broadcasting team that participated from Diagonal including a senior team with Ashley JARRED, Jenna BERGER and Bailey CAMERON that did a themed broadcast on bullying and a junior team of Dom BUCHANAN, Heath EVANS and Shad HAIDSIAK that did a lighthearted newscast for laughs. Also participating was a reader's theater group with senior Amanda DAVIS and Amber LILENTHAL, junior Charlene HINGELEY, sophomore Bryce STILL and freshman Ryan PARROTT.

The MAC speech team is coached by Shaun KNIEP and the Diagonal team is coached by Curtis LAMBSON.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2012