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Volume 59 Edition 13
Eight speech teams advance to the state competition
On Saturday, Jan. 25, a group of CFHS students stood in front of a panel of judges, performing acts they had started rehearsing months ago. The district large group speech contest took place at Hampton-Dumont High School. The speech team sent 11 acts down to perform, and eight of them qualified for the state competition, which will take place on Feb. 8. For sophomore Ahmad Madlock, this was his first time competing as a member of the speech team. “So far our season is going really well. Our team has been very successful, and state qualifying or not, each and every event is very proud of what they’ve created,” Madlock said. Categories at large group speech can span from mime to improv to musical theater. Students from all across the district perform and are given a rating, with a one being the highest score. This is also the contest where students can be selected to move on to the state competition. For many students in speech, getting to perform the pieces they’ve been rehearsing at contest is the highlight of the season. “Saturday’s competition was
a phenomenal experience for all of us. The level of support in the room from everyone, even though it was a competition, was amazing,” Madlock said. The members of the speech team have been hard at work since early fall, choosing pieces and rehearsing. Catherine Bettag is coaching for the second year in a row and has worked on choosing pieces that students are interested in. “Some scripts were decided on ahead of time; others were made with student input. Some Lex Hesse Photo of the categories required our Sophomores Leah Takes and Josh Mitchell practice for the one-act, a students to create their own story about a girl who dies after a car accident and her journey to the pieces, and we chose to write afterlife. two pieces for our one-act and was when I watched the one-act “At the showcase on Friday ensemble acting categories,” for the first time, I wasn’t expect- we will be presenting at least four Bettag said. ing to cry actual tears, and I did,” of our pieces, but our main focus For students involved in the Bettag said, “and it wasn’t be- will be our two ensemble actings, one-act play, this piece is close to cause I was proud of the kids, but our musical theater group that is home. “Our one-act was written it was because what they wrote moving on to State, and our oneentirely by our assistant speech was so emotionally moving that it act, which are our biggest pieces. coach Danae Dieken and the enbrought me to tears, so that was It’s really awesome to be able to tire cast of the one-act. It’s about a really amazing experience.” present the pieces that our kids this girl who gets hit by a car and Now that district contest is worked so hard to complete,” dies and her journey into the afdone, the team is busy with prep- Bettag said. terlife,” Bettag said. arations for the state contest. When it comes to the state For Bettag, watching students They will host a showcase night competition, most students are compete and improve on their at the high school on Friday, Jan. working toward making All-State, craft is one of the most reward31 at 7:30 p.m. to feature some an honor that few competitors ing parts of coaching speech. of their pieces. receive. “If I’m being honest, I’d “One of my favorite moments
like to make it to All-State, but I’m mostly just hoping to have as good of a time as I did Saturday. I can’t wait to see what improvements the other groups have done,” Madlock said. Bettag agreed that although she wants all groups to advance, the most important part is giving the best performance possible. “My main hope is that we come away with a lot of ones, but mostly that we just perform our best and have a great time. It would be really awesome to send people on to All-State, but I think most of us will be just super happy to do our best at State,” Bettag said. For Madlock, the most memorable moments have taken place offstage with his teammates. “One of my favorite moments was before performing our one-act nearly all the cast got in a big group and we huddled and shared our support and love for one another,” Madlock said. “It was a moment I’ll never forget, and I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say there’s nothing like performing something you love with people you love.” By Staff Writer Erin
McRAE
PEAS group raises awareness about helping the planet When sophomore Bella Carillo blinks her eyes open in the morning and pulls her curtains back, she doesn’t just see the white blankets of snow, but analyzes the trash covering the earth and the people who are homeless and stuck in this icy freeze. Carillo struggles with anxiety related to the changing earth and wants to be able to do something about the evolving Earth and calm her anxieties. Last summer she decided to create the non-profit organization PEAS (Protecting the Earth and Society). PEAS’ goal is to help clean up our Earth, tend to the less fortunate and to open the eyes of the more fortunate to how easy it is to help out people in society who are struggling and our planet. Carillo’s family inspired her to create PEAS by their giving personalities. “My grandma has always been helping people, and we used to live with
Sophomore Bella Carillo and her father , Joseph Carillo, pick up trash by Wal-Mart in Cedar Falls. They filled five or six large paper bags full of trash on their mission to make the world a cleaner and prettier place. PEAS aims to clean up the planet and help those who are less fortunate to ultimately make the world a better place. Submitted Photo
her. Every time she used to help somebody, we would go along with her and make little care packages to give to homeless people,” Carillo said. “ So that stuck with me, just giving to people who need help.” Carillo’s father has also invested time in helping make PEAS successful. “He is my right hand man the whole time. He is the most supportive per-
son in all of this,” she said. “My dad helps me organize everything. He is more of an upfront man; he kind of puts the things into action. He’s like magic or something.” Other than her family, Carillo said she is also motivated to keep helping by the beauty of the earth and feeling she gets when helping others. “I remember during cleanups
I always look at the area we are cleaning, and I just think of how crazy it is that we as a whole can live with our earth looking the way it is. Then I think of how beautiful it looks after we are done. It looks untouched,” she said. “Then I remember helping people by handing out care packages to the homeless, and I remember seeing their faces light up when they see we are trying to help them. It’s such a warming feeling knowing that they have at least a smaller meal rather than nothing,” she said. To help spread the awareness of helping others and the planet, Carillo has teamed up with business owners around the Cedar Falls for collection spots for cans for food drives and clothes for clothing drives. The current stores that are supporting PEAS are The Finishing Touch on College Hill, Main Street Sweets and Main Street Fitness. At the end of
the drives, the food goes to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, and the clothes go to House of Hope and Cedar Valley Friends and Family. PEAS started a food drive at the Cedar Falls High School, which just ended on Jan. 20. Carillo said she hopes to bring another one to the school in March. For the future, Carillo said she wants to keep seeing PEAS inspiring people to help. “Just continuing to fix things. Just seeing other people get involved with this and other people helping. Then I know it has a ripple effect and other people start to help and, hopefully, eventually a lot of people are starting to help out and fixing everything,” she said. To learn more about PEAS and when and where they will have events going on, follow their Instagram @protecting_ earth_and_society_. By Co-Editor-in-Chief Sophia
SCHILLINGER