On Saturday, March 9, the Dubuque Senior Speech Team competed in the 2019 State Individual Event Speech Contest at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa. The team received overall Division I ratings in 46 performances. The contest is sponsored by the Iowa High School Speech Association.

The Dubuque Senior Speech Team also received 16 Outstanding Performance nominations to the 2019 Individual Event All-State Festival, which will be held Monday, March 25 at the University of Northern Iowa. The Dubuque Senior varsity team also earned the I.H.S.S.A. Individual Event Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the school with the most nominations to the Festival. This marks the ninth consecutive year the Dubuque Senior Speech Team has won the Individual Events Sweepstakes Trophy. The Dubuque Senior Speech Team has now had a share or won the Sweepstakes Trophy in fourteen of the last seventeen speech competitions.

The Dubuque Senior Speech team is only the second team in IHSSA history to win both the Large Group and IE Sweepstakes Trophy in the same year, and the only school to accomplish this feat four times (2019, 2018, 2016 and 2013). Dubuque Senior’s varsity honors include one double All-State nominee – Brady Booth.

The group is coached by Aaron Dean, Greg Ernzen, Nick Halder, Megan Schumacher, and MaryJo Williams.

The following students received All-State honors:

Brady Booth (Senior) – Spontaneous Speaking & Storytelling
Peyton Decker (Senior) – After Dinner Speaking
Izzy Gorton (Sophomore) – Storytelling
Katie Hansen (Senior) – Public Address
Evelyn Jenkins (Sophomore) – Literary Program
Jackson Kates (Junior) – Solo Musical Theatre
Abigail Klapatauskas (Sophomore) – Spontaneous Speaking
Will LaFoe (Senior) – Prose
True Mills (Senior) – Prose
John Pope (Sophomore) – After Dinner Speaking
Amber Schute (Junior) – Acting
Hannah Smith (Sophomore) – Public Address
Harrison Tompkins (Sophomore) – Radio News Announcing
Kate Tonn (Senior) – Literary Program
Gabe Vander Broek (Senior) – Improvisational Acting

In addition, the following students received Division I ratings at the State Contest:
Megan Andress (Freshman) – Poetry
Samantha Barklow (Sophomore) – Acting & Solo Musical Theatre
Adeline Chesher (Freshman) – Literary Program
Anna Cook (Freshman) – Review
Shonagh Current Giere (Freshman) – Literary Program
Joe Delaney (Freshman) – After Dinner Speaking
Debbie Dremmel (Freshman) – Solo Musical Theatre
Isabella Garcia (Sophomore) – Original Oratory
Abigail Geers (Sophomore) – Original Oratory
Matt Gunn (Sophomore) – After Dinner Speaking
Gavin Hall (Sophomore) – Solo Musical Theatre
Helen Hall (Freshman) – Prose
Lilly Hoefflin (Freshman) – Storytelling
Julia Howes (Sophomore) – Review
Aleeyah Kreiss (Sophomore) – Expository Address
Carly Lawler (Freshman) – Poetry
Riley O’Donnell (Sophomore) – Acting
Cecilia Oberdoerster (Sophomore) – Public Address
Maria Markus (Sophomore) – Radio News Announcing & Storytelling
Morgan McClain (Sophomore) – Poetry
Lilly Nauman (Junior) – Original Oratory
McKenzie Pfab (Junior) – Review
Jonathan Schultz (Junior) – Spontaneous Speaking
Taylor Starkey (Sophomore) – Review
Luke Tonn (Freshman) – Improvisational Acting
Mia Waid (Junior) – Poetry
Cassie Williams (Sophomore) – Poetry
Maura Wright (Freshman) – Poetry