1 • Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 - Shopper’s Guide
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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28, 2018
Lena-Winslow/Orangeville Speech Team opens 2018 season “I forgot my poetry book.” “I have to perform three times today?” “I don’t have a neck tie.” “Either do I.” Rookies. Gotta love ‘em. We’ve all been one at one time or another. New mom or dad. New employee on a new job. New whatever. We all have to start somewhere, and for six novices of the Lena-Winslow/ Orangeville Speech Team, their start was at the annual Rochelle Novice Speech Tournament, held Saturday, Nov. 17. The idea was for the kids to get tournament experience, not to win awards, but in what has been the rule rather than the exception in recent years, at least one team member came away with a first place medal. Stated Le-Win freshman Mikhail Schoonhoven-Hussain after performing his prose selection, “This tournament was a nice warm-up for the bigger tournaments. It was especially nice to see how I did with my script with others around.” The Le-Win/Orangeville team was the only local team to participate in this yearly event and the students got a quick taste of good competition, facing teams from Rockford, DeKalb, and the Chicago suburbs, including perennial powerhouse Downers Grove South, whose speech kids begin their training right out of the womb, or so it seems. Not only were the team’s newest members thrown into the proverbial fire, so was new head coach Meredith Schoonhoven. “This tournament allowed a few of my new members an opportunity to see what a speech tournament is all about on a much smaller scale. I am very proud of all of the students. They have been working extremely hard for the last few weeks
and it was great to see them become more comfortable and confident with their abilities as they progressed through the day. I am looking forward to watching each of them grow as the speech season continues,” Schoonhoven said at the end of the day. As anyone who is familiar with competitive high school speech in Northwest Illinois is aware, the biggest local story that came out of last year’s State Tournament was Orangeville High School student Justin Malone’s 5th place finish in radio speaking. As stated earlier, one team member came away with a first place award in Rochelle. And guess what the category was. Radio speaking. And where is the young man from? Orangeville. Freshman Ronan O’Brien is quite possibly the heir apparent to Malone in this very challenging speaking category. It also helps when Malone, now in his senior year, is on hand to give O’Brien a few tips on script preparation and speaking technique, a process known as “peer coaching.” “The first tournament was a rather exhilarating experience,” O’Brien said. “At first, the events were nerve-wracking and I was incredibly nervous. But, as I got through my first rounds, I realized that it was not nearly as terrifying as it seemed. I’m really looking forward to the next tournament.” O’Brien wasn’t the only prize winner Saturday. Le-Win freshman Ben Gardner was a double-award winner, winning 6th-place ribbons in extemporaneous and informative speaking. And, the “close but no cigar” award went to Orangeville sophomore Emma Beightol, who actually tied for 6th in poetry reading
Zeta Upsilon Chapter members meet Comfort Dogs, Butch and Britta At a recent Zeta Upsilon Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi meeting, Comfort Dogs, Butch and Britta, and their handlers presented the program. The Comfort Dogs are a ministry of the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod Charities. (LCC) Butch and
Britta were trained to be Comfort Dogs for Veterans. The handlers, Keith and Dale are veterans. The dogs live in their homes, and the veterans and their wives present
See COMFORT DOGS, Page 12
but was listed as finishing 7th due to a tie-breaking procedure known as speakers points. Yes, speech tournaments can be exhilarating and nerve-wracking and a lot of fun, but sometimes strange things (good things, but strange) can happen. As related by Le-Win freshman poetry reader Tabitha Roenneburg, “In the second round, I chocked on my water. (Students are encouraged to take a bottle of water with them.) But, I didn’t want to cough while performing. So, as I was
holding it in, I started crying which somehow made my speech better.” As a team, this group hasn’t missed a beat since the retirement of former head coach Tom Fore. “We were very lucky and grateful that Meredith stepped forward to run the team,” said Fore, who now serves as assistant coach. “She knew what she was getting herself into in terms of the time commitment, she’s dedicated, and a very quick learner. These kids are going to be in very good hands.”
There are a total of nine new team members, which include freshman as well as seasoned Le-Win theatrical performers new to the team. The core of last year’s Regional team is returning, so the squad’s personnel level will be as high, or higher, than it has been in recent years. In coming weeks, the Le-Win/ Orangeville Speech Team travels to Stockton, Rochelle (again), Byron, River Ridge, Downers Grove South, and Rockford Jefferson. The team hosts its own tournament January 5.
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Thank you
Le-Win students share a good book and discuss it during their lunch break with Ms. Gallagher. Thank you, Lena-Winslow Education Foundation, for providing books for the fourth and fifth grade enrichment book clubs.
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