March 26, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - SCAPA, the School for Creative and Performing Arts Bluegrass, dominated the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) Junior State Tournament held at Western Kentucky University March 21-22.
SCAPA captured its 11th consecutive team sweepstakes state championship, beating second place Ockerman Middle School of Boone County by 120 points. Kentucky Country Day of Louisville finished third.
SCAPA also won the Sustained Excellence Award for cumulative points over the years. The team took home the Traveling Trophy to accompany the sweepstakes championship trophy.
Additionally, SCAPA competitors won seven of the 11 state individual championships and were runner-up in seven of the events. The team added two thirds, two fourths and two sixths.
The two-day tournament began with SCAPA coaches Beth Randolph and Debbi Dean being inducted into the KHSSL Hall of Fame. Two of their former students and a pair of parents of speakers spoke in introducing them.
State champions from SCAPA were Haley Fish and McKenna Slone in Duo Acting, Leia Wedlund in Extemporaneous Speaking, Ema Horvath and Ross Thomas in Improvisational Duo, Macy Early in both Oratorical Declamation and Public Speaking, Horvath in Solo Acting, and Haley Fish in Storytelling.
State champions in the other four events were P.J. Sowards of Johns Creek School in Interpretation of Literature, Amelia Grambling of Christmas-Grambling Home School, Avery Melton of Roy G. Eversole Middle School in Prose Interpretation, and Beau McGhee of Fort Thomas Highlands Middle School in Broadcast Announcing.
The Horizon Award for best performance by a school with limited entries was won by Corbin Middle School, followed by Scott Middle School of Fort Knox, Lexington Beaumont Middle School, June Buchanan School and Bardstown Middle School.
Following SCAPA, Ockerman and Kentucky Country Day in sweepstakes competition were, in order, Johns Creek, Roy G. Eversole, Morton Middle School of Lexington, Highlands Middle School, East Hardin Middle School, Calloway County Middle School and Franklin-Simpson Middle School, respectively.
The Kentucky High School Speech League, Inc. encourages all students to participate in academic competition, receiving an understanding of and appreciation for worthwhile speech, drama, and debate. KHSSL enhances and refines students' skills in acting, speaking, listening, and critical thinking, and provides an arena for extracurricular competition in speech, drama, and debate.
KHSSL is coordinated by the Communication Department of WKU, led by Dr. Sally Ray. Jim Turner is executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Jim Turner at (270) 745-3296.
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