The Highland High School speech team traveled to Monticello High School in Monticello, Iowa, this past Saturday for the Large Group District Speech Competition. Twenty-eight Southeast Iowa schools made the trip to Monticello. 

The Huskies had two group performances during the day, the first being their group improvisation team named “The 3 Little Piggies.” Participants in the group were juniors Gwen Piette, Rayne Foley, and Allyana Pokorny. 

Group improvisation has participants draw three situations out of a hat at random. After choosing one situation, the group has two minutes to decide how they will act it out in five minutes or less. The group had to act out cleaning the floor with toothbrushes. 

The group was given a rating of II for their performance, ending their season on a high note. Group member Gwen Piette said, “I’m very happy with how it [the performance] turned out. It was comedic, but also kept it simple at the same time. Easy to follow.”

The second performance of the day from the Huskies came from their radio broadcast group named “KNOW.” Returning senior Brendan Schnoebelen, juniors Gwen Piette, Taylor Forbes, Rayne Foley, Allyana Pokorny, and freshman Greta Piette were all participants. The broadcast included many elements with the theme of “Black Widow,” including a local interview, a commercial, and even a breaking news story, all while staying in the required five to six-minute range. 

The group was given a rating of I for their performance, qualifying them for the state large group competition on the campus of Cedar Rapids Washington High School on Saturday, February 4. 

Head coach Jayme Kallaus was pleased with what she saw from her team. “It didn’t really matter, honestly, what score they ended up with. I was proud of everybody for doing what they did, and I just want them to be proud of their performance,” she said.