CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – For many people, the thought of giving a speech can cause anxiety; but for some local students, public speaking is a passion.
That passion qualified the students to compete in this year’s Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL) state tournament.
There are over one dozen public speaking and acting events held at THSSDL tournaments. Students spend the entire school year travelling to various competitions. They practice numerous hours after school and willingly wake up early on Saturday mornings to showcase their talents.
The state tournament was held April 22nd and 23rd at Walter State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. Before traveling to Morristown the students had qualified for state by earning 4th place or higher at the district tournament.
Three Clarksville-Montgomery County School System high schools had winning students at this year’s state tournament. They include Rossview’s Kevin Kirkman, who is the state champion, winning 1st place in After Dinner Speaking. Also placing in that event was fellow RHS student Pramika Sriram in 3rd. Rossview had an excellent showing at state with Megan Cole placing 3rd in Prose, Carson Watts placing 4th in Original Oratory, and Alyssa Bolster placing 4th and Megan Joosse placing 6th in TV News. In the Student Congress event, Rossview had five students nominated for outstanding speaker awards. Rossview’s Claire Barnett was the Presiding Officer in the House for Congress.
Northeast High School also received awards. In the Duo Interpretation event Gavin Berlyak and CeeJay Byrd placed 4th.
Kelsey Thornton, a junior at Kenwood High, also brought home honors by placing 5th in the Original Oratory speech event.
The most moving part of the state tournament came during the awards ceremony as the THSSDL Kathleen Thayer Beach Scholarship recipients were announced. This scholarship is in memory of a very talented young public speaker who died in a car accident in 2009. Rossview’s Claire Barnett was awarded this $500 honor.