The Norton Speech and Debate team continues to make its mark! On February 3, the Norton Speech and Debate Team participated in a tournament at Revere High School in Akron entitled “Little Districts.” This tournament catapults competitors and allows them to earn a spot at the state competition. Michael Blankenship, Hayden Brown, Abby Collins, Kallie Foote, Frankie Foster, Denny Hazen, Ava Hitchings, Olivia Gray, Mason Pardee, Hannah Peters,
Maggie Somerville, and Saige Wilson became state qualifiers to compete in the Ohio Speech and Debate State Competition. Meanwhile, Kaeley Burch, Evan Butcher, and Aubrey Clark became alternates for the state competition in their respective categories. Junior Averie Meyers “bid out” earlier in the season. When a person “bids out,” they are placed in the top six of their category and are automatically entered into the state competition. On average, around 40 competitors compete in each category at any given tournament. Averie’s speech
is a dramatic interpretation piece entitled” Voicemail,” about a sibling’s traumatic death, and she provides a tear-jerking performance. On February 17 and 18, the team competed again at the "Big Districts” tournament at Glen Oak High School in Canton. This competition was a two-day event with an average of 60 competitors in each category going till 11:00 PM each night. Senior Saige Wilson placed fourth overall in the original oratory category. Saige is now eligible to compete in the National competition in Iowa this summer! Saige’s thought-provoking piece is entitled “Learning is Always in Style.” It is an original piece written by Saige and discusses learning styles and how effective and/or ineffective they are. State competition will occur at Wooster on Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2. Both Norton High School and Middle School teams will compete during this competition. Congratulations to all competitors for a job well done! You have worked hard all season long. Norton is very proud of you and how you represent our district! If you want to know more about this club, talk to or email Ms. Pletcher or Ms. J. You can also follow the team on Instagram at @nhs.speech.debate.drama, where you can see pictures and updates of the team.