Murray, NEB- This year’s speech season is at the beginning. After being online for a year, the new team has to take on the challenges of other hard working schools and new experiences of being in person. The new team includes seniors Lindee W. and Addie A., juniors Delaney D., Ella L., McKenzie J., Jaggar P., and Jayden S., and sophomores John M. and Dani A.

There are many different types of speeches that the members can do. Some of these include informative speaking, persuasive speaking, duet acting, extemporaneous (exemp) speaking and impromptu. The main point of an informative speech is to inform the audience about a topic. Persuasive speaking is persuading the audience to feel a certain way about a topic. Duet acting is similar to a two-person play. “In extemp, you have a set amount of time, either an hour or thirty minutes, depending on the meet, to write a speech about a current events topic that you draw. In impromptu, you have five minutes to write a five-minute humorous speech on a topic that you draw,” said John M.

Speech, like any sport, club or activity, is close-knit like a family. They push each other out of their shells to become strong public speakers. “There is a lot of talent at Conestoga, but I think people get unsure of themselves and get scared. I truly believe if they would give it a chance they would really love this unique form of competition. It’s a place where you can share your voice about what you are passionate about in a variety of ways,” stated Jessica Schlichtemeier, the speech team coach. The whole team supports each other and other teams. John said, “Another thing I enjoy about speech is watching the other competitors perform. Being able to listen to people talk about the topics they care about and show off their talents is truly amazing.”

The 2022 speech team is a group of good students. They are doing their best to start off this season on a high note. They all hope to bring home awards, but as John said, “I’m just there to enjoy myself and have fun.”