Mitchell High School hosting state oral interpretation festival
Dec. 1—MITCHELL — High school orators from around the state will converge in Mitchell on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, for the 2022 South Dakota State Oral Interpretation Festival.
The event is expected to draw 16 AA Class schools, 15 A Class schools and 15 B Class schools to the Mitchell School District's Performing Arts Center, where orators will present in a variety of categories, ranging from poetry to humorous and everything in between.
"They will be showcasing their best in each category — duo, drama, poetry — and they bring their best performers in each. It really is a festival," said Madi Miller, head speech and debate coach at Mitchell High School.
The event is open to the public and will get underway at 9 a.m. Friday. That portion will feature AA non-original oratory, A serious reading and B reader's theater performances. Events will continue throughout the day, with the second session beginning at 1:30 p.m. and the final round at 6 p.m.
Saturday will get underway at 9 a.m. and conclude with a second session beginning at 1:30 p.m.
A detailed schedule
can be found at the South Dakota High School Activities Association website.
Miller said the festival is a nice opportunity to showcase the Mitchell School District facilities as well as allow for local residents to take in the event. The event rotates among AA schools in the state every year.
The festival is primarily hosted by local debate and oral interpretation students, who also handle many arrangements for the state debate tournament, which will also be hosted by Mitchell High School. That event is set for March 3 and 4. It's also a chance to show younger local students what oral interpretation entails and the wide range of benefits it can provide, including presentation skills.
"I think a lot of kids don't know what it is. When they hear theater, show choir or sports they know what that is. A lot of kids ask what oral interpretation is," Miller said.
Miller said the orators on the Mitchell High School team have had a successful season.
"(They've done) really, really well. We had a lot of novices who returned this year and they are doing awesome at tournaments, especially our ladies involved in drama. They're doing really well, and the duo is doing really well at tournaments," Miller said.
Mitchell students expected to present at the festival include Serenity Hollins, a junior, in serious reading; Megyn Estrada, a freshman, in humorous interpretation; Andy Fergen, a junior, in storytelling; Logan Culhane, a senior, and Rian Douvier, a junior, in duo interpretation and Lauren Douvier, a sophomore, in poetry reading.
Miller said the program is in somewhat of a rebuilding mode. The last two seasons saw several upperclassmen take part in the program for the first time. That meant they were only involved with the program for a short time before graduating. Now with a new foundation of younger participants, Miller said it's been fun watching the program grow with a new group.
"I'm excited because one is a senior, and the rest are underclassmen. It will be nice to see what they do moving forward," Miller said.
The program also continues to recruit new members by way of its outreach program at Mitchell Middle School. During the spring, the current crop of high schoolers works with sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders on getting excited about oral interpretation.
Miller said that has paid off recently and is reflected in this current lineup of students in the program, three of which are freshman. She hopes those ongoing recruiting efforts pay off in increased participation.
But for now, the team's sights are set on Friday and Saturday, and Miller is looking forward to them presenting for their peers and the general public, which she encouraged to stop by and take in the event.
"It will be nice to have state here. Hopefully, people will see what's all about," Miller said.
