OH senior Katelyn Thilk earned a spot at IHSA Speech State competition in Peoria the weekend of Feb. 21, something that has not happened for a speech team member from OHS since 2014.
Was she happy? To say she was excited would have been an understatement for Thilk.
“Winning wasn’t even my priority at that point,” Thilk said. “I was just so thankful and excited for the opportunity to represent OHS.” Thilk represented OH at State in the Oratorical Declaration category.
Speaking and debating are what make speech what it is. There are different categories to compete and debate in either alone or in a duet. During Sectionals, Speech Coach David Mattes shared that there were six speakers who qualified.
“Six sectional qualifiers is a strong number for us,” Mattes said, “and it was a very good year for us. We had some new students that were a very talented and energetic group of ninth graders, so it was exciting to see them grow.”
Thilk qualified for Sectionals in Oratorical Declaration, alongside Sam Stoller, who qualified for in Informational Speaking, Alia Johnson, who qualified for an Original Oratory, Ava Rose Michelon in Radio, Elliot Esproalla in Impromptu Speaking, and Leonidas Leigh in Poetry.
“Going [to State] wasn’t just for me, it was an opening to expand the speech team and show kids that succeeding is possible, even when the sport of speech is so subjective and challenging,” said Thilk.
Thilk was in the top three in her Sectional event, which qualified her for State. Her event, oratorical declaration, Mattes described as “a speech about a speech.” This event retells a previous speech primarily by an unknown speaker.
“Examples could be Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or a TED Talk,” OH speech adviser and OH counselor Jacob Cafaro said. “Students typically choose less famous speeches by unknown speakers. Students are judged on building an authentic character (speaker), having a convincing storyline, points of emotion (or levels of emotions), and some features of acting (gestures, speaking, movements).”
Thilk’s speech was a TED Talk from Chris Duffy entitled “How to find laughter anywhere.” The video features a fifth grade teacher and improv comedy instructor comparing how laughter and moments of humor come from free thinking and stepping out of our comfort zones.
“There were ups and downs since the sport is so subjective,” Thilk said, “but overall it was the best season I’ve personally had, and it was a great run for Oswego Speech.”
Howdy! My name is Liam Piekarczyk and I am a first year staff reporter and Photography Editor for 42Fifty. I'm in my senior year of high school. I am involved in the school's cross country, swim and dive, and track and field team. I am also an editor for the 25/26 reflector yearbook staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback for our publication!
