Wylie

The Union Individual Speech Team traveled to Wapello on March 13, for their state contest. By the end of the day, Union walked out with six Division 1 ratings and 1 Division 2.

“I am very proud of the effort these performers showed at State,” head coach Dean Bostian said. “Especially for our two seniors, Emma Deaton and Dolores Cicio who brought home three Division 1 ratings between the two of them.”

Deaton, who received a Division 1 last year in Storytelling, did the same this year with the story “Zen Shorts”. A story of a talking panda who teaches lessons of life through stories. Cicio knocked it out of the park with two Division 1 ratings in Poetry and Literary program. The poetry piece, a slam poem called, “Somewhere In America,” focused on things which seem strange in today’s society, considering the common sense of what should be the right decisions taking place. Her Literary Program, entitled, “Toxic Masculinity,” focused on the idea of ridicule from people because males are not being manly enough.

Others receiving Division 1 ratings were Ninah Williams in Poetry, with a piece she wrote herself, entitled “Minutes Like Hours,” about a drunk driving accident; Rebekah Dickerson in Prose, with a piece entitled, “Where The Road Divides,” written from the view of Judas Isacriot’s mother, after Judas had betrayed Jesus; Caitlyn Wylie in Original Oratory, which her speech called, “Saving Grace,” in which she talks about how people need to allow themselves to be vulnerable in order to succeed and meet people, otherwise loneliness and depression become prevalent.

Hunter Schaefer also competed, bringing home a Division 2 for his Prose piece, “The Big C”.

Two weeks following the state contest, all-state honors were announced for speech students throughout the state.

Union qualified one performer, Caitlyn Wylie and her Original Oratory, for the all-state program.

“I was nervous waiting for the nominations to come out,” Wylie said. “I was walking around work with my phone out waiting for them to post, and once they did, I was doing my happy dance in the middle of Applebee’s!”