By Cambria Roth
The Silverton High School Speech and Debate team won its second consecutive state championship with an outstanding performance at the OSAA 5A Speech State Championship.
Senior Diana Cater and sophomore Haley Karlson will compete at the National Forensic League Tournament in Birmingham, Ala.
Cater was the state champion in both Oratory and Expository speaking and quarter finalist in Public Forum.
“We have always had really great coaches and students but this year we had so much new talent that we did well for how small of a school we are compared to Sprague, who is our toughest competition,” Cater said. “We had the numbers to make it work and it has taken four years to get us up to this point.”
Other students who placed at the state championship are: Carson States, state champion in Student Congress and voted Outstanding Chair; Josiah Miller, Quarter Finalist in Public Forum Debate; Stephanie Willis, Second Place in Oratory Speaking, Octo-finalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate; Ken Hall III, third place in Radio Commentary, semi-finalist in Impromptu Speaking; Jasmine Kim, finalist in Student Congress; Alison White, Semi-Finalist in Dual Interpretation; Andi Copeland, Semi- Finalist in Prose Reading, Semi-Finalist in Dual Interpretation; Hallie Day; Semi- Finalist in Memorized Serious Interpretation; and Gavin Knox, Semi- Finalist in Memorized Humorous Interpretation.
Practice for the tournament begins in the fall with students working an hour daily and speech teacher Matt Ogle and assistant coaches Kyle Vorderstrasse and Ginger Ogle working with students after school.
“It feels fantastic and kind of like a vindication for how hard we have worked,” Cater said. “We have put in many hours of work and are finally recognized and it’s great.”
To cover the costs of the two team members going to Alabama, the team has planned a bottle drive on May 30 and speech night on May 29 at the Silverton High School Schlador Street Theater.
