Poets in Huron! State Interp Begins Today

The South Dakota State Oral Interpretation Festival runs today and tomorrow in Huron. A few hundred students from eighty-some schools will get together for a fun weekend of reading and listening to poems and plays and showing off their talents in front of some of South Dakota's smartest professors and other speech experts. You can see full speaking schedules and rosters for Class B, Class A, and Class AA at the SDHSAA Speech website. SDPB will also post results throughout the contest.

Of all our state high school tournaments and events, I think only All-State Chorus brings together a wider range of schools and actively participating students. There's some stiff competition (and I've voiced the minority opinion that the event could benefit from even more competition), but there's also just as much camaraderie. Kids and coaches come Bison and Kyle, Mobridge and Montrose, and mingle with and sincerely applaud their counterparts from Brookings, Pierre, and Rapid City. And I will dare to suggest that among this big group of kids willing to devote entire weekends to performing and enjoying literature, you will find a significantly high concentration of South Dakota's future National Merit Scholars, Ivy Leaguers, teachers, and leaders.

Special love this morning to the Madville Times's favorite interpers, his old vets Corinne, Lauren and Dathan -- remember, kids: "Concentrate, Energize, Enunciate, and Believe!" And good wishes to all the kids and coaches for a fun contest and a safe trip home... or maybe even a nice extra Saturday night in the motel as you wait out the snow with stories and jokes and long, raucous card games.