For more than 20 years, Speech Team has been competing at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Regional Competition, which prepares contestants for both the sectional and state competitions. With 14 different and competitive events and a veteran team, coaches spend a lot of time deciding which students will head to regionals. 

“I like comparing a regular tournament to a track meet–-each student competes in a range of 14 individual events in three rounds throughout the day against students from other schools in the same event,” Head coach Sarah Pouls said. “In those rounds, students perform their pieces for other competitors in their events but are scored by a judge in the room. If students score high enough, they break into a final round of the top six to seven competitors. At the end of the day, scores are added up per school and we are given an overall team score; so while students are competing individually, each person’s participation contributes to how the team does overall.”

All events at any IHSA Speech Competition are separated into three categories, Assistant Coach and Performance-in-the-Round Coach Kirsten Manthei said. Interpretation is where students perform a piece already written and act it out, Public Address is most like a typical speech, and Limited Preparation is where students are given a limited amount of time to prepare a speech after being given a topic. 

“I have been on the regional team for four years as of this year competing in Impromptu and my third year competing in both Impromptu and Info,” Speech Team captain Elizabeth Mason ‘25 said. “I really enjoy going to regionals, as well as the lead-up to it. The week before regionals, the team has an amazing time prepping, and the regional workshop on Saturday is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to practice together.”

The captains for the current season are Mason, London Shannon-Muscolino ‘25, Marisa Lin ‘25, and Cole Buckhalter ‘26. These captains are tasked with spanning over multiple topics in order to fulfill spots for the regional competition since there are only 14 categories and one student is selected for each. 

“As a captain, I get to help provide feedback to members of the team,” Shannon-Muscolino said. “Peer coaching is one of my favorite aspects of Speech because it allows me to help other members grow their confidence and spread a message that is important to them.”

This year’s regional competition was held on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Hinsdale Central High School, Pouls said. Judges give students feedback at each tournament and the team works on applying that feedback at their practices during the week over the course of the season and leading up to regionals. Speech Team finished third overall at the regional competition, Joaquin Magpayo ‘25 took third in Oratorical Declamation, Shannon-Muscolino took second in Dramatic Interpretation and third in Prose, Mason placed first in Impromptu and third in Informative Speaking, Lin took first in Original Oratory, Buckhalter earned fourth in Poetry, and Sofia Magajne ‘25 placed second in Special Occasion Speaking

“Speech is not simply about presenting speeches,” Manthei said. “Speech team is an activity that encourages students to gain confidence, develop critical thinking skills, become better writers and overall communicators, and obviously strengthens their performance skills.”

Preparations for the Regional Competition began a few weeks before the event, and since most students perfect one piece for each of their events for the entire season, the time leading up to the big events is the perfect time to revise speeches. This could mean cutting certain parts, fixing wording, or in some cases, choosing to write an entirely new piece.  

“I competed on the Regional team for the State Series last year in Original Oratory,” Lin said. “Although it was a lot of work, I felt like I learned and improved the most during that preparation time. I’ve always been really fascinated by public speaking and all the little details that go into it, like vocal variety and articulation. Speech has really helped develop my overall communication skills and become a better advocate for myself, and of course, I love speech team for the people too.”

The Speech Team season spans from early November to February, and a lot of the time is spent perfecting pieces and gearing up for the IHSA State Series. The sectional competition will be held on Feb. 15 at Downers Grove South and the state competition is the following weekend at the Peoria Civic Center.

“Those that compete at the regional level will obviously sharpen those skills, and they will compete against much tougher and more challenging competition,” Manthei said. “We are in one of the hardest regions and sections in the state, and our students know that they must work extra hard to move on to the next level.”