The Excelsior Springs High School Competitive Speaking, Acting, and Debate Team won their fifth straight Conference Championship on Feb. 17 at Lee’s Summit High School. They took the Overall Conference Championship, scoring 355 points, outpacing their nearest competitor, who scored 198 points.
Outstanding individual performances bolstered the team’s victory. Jason Beshere led the way by winning first place in Original Oration and fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking. Mackenzie Cole came in second in Original Oration, demonstrating the team’s strength in the category.
In Informative Speaking, Reese Odell and Em Rice took second and third places, respectively. In Extemporaneous Speaking, Brody Hurla and Joshua Goodman secured second and third places in the Domestic category, while Mitchell Blankenship placed third in International Extemporaneous Speaking.
Maddox Stewart and Lydia McLean added to the team’s success with second and sixth places in Storytelling. Cristian Canales won first in Humorous Interpretation, and Kate Houck took first in Dramatic Interpretation, with Cole Dickey not far behind in second place. Canales and Dickey also excelled in Duo Interpretation, finishing second.
In Lincoln Douglas Debate, Alyssa Clark and Chole Disalvo placed fourth and seventh, respectively. Hailey McDade and Nick Dunker dominated Student Congress, taking the top two spots.
Congratulations to Excelsior Springs High School’s All-Conference Team!
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