Speech Tournament Winners

Over 100 Kentucky high and middle school students participated in West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s inaugural Alben Barkley Open Speech Tournament on November 16.
 
The tournament was held throughout the WKCTC campus for 114 students of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) and 73 tournament coaches and judges.
 
Team awards were given for the highest team score in the twelve tournament categories listed below. Calloway County took home the top team prize with Paducah Tilghman, Graves County winning second-third place trophies, respectively.
 
Other participating schools were Crittenden County, Marshall County, Murray High School, Hopkinsville High School and Warren East High School in Bowling Green. Students from Paducah Middle School also participated in the tournament.
 
The following students received the individual tournament awards:

• Broadcasting: Maranda Branum, Graves County
• Declamation: Kalea Anderson, Calloway County
• Dramatic Interpretation: Coleman Flentge, Calloway County
• Duo Interpretation: Jessica Williams and  Dylan Warmack, Calloway County
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Rachel Todd, Murray High
• Humorous Interpretation: Elijah Smith, Graves County
• Impromptu Speaking: Will Hancock, Paducah Tilghman
• Improvisational Duo: Micheal Hassel and Brante Green, Paducah Tilghman
• Oratory: Kailey Ray, Calloway County
• Poetry: Ashton Saxon, Graves County
• Prose: Stephanie McClain, Calloway County
• Storytelling: Lauren Cox, Calloway County

“We were thrilled with the participation for our first speech tournament, and glad we could have the tournament on our campus,” said Dr. Karen Hill Johnson, WKCTC Communication Instructor and Director of Forensics. “We came away with some great strategies for making next year’s tournament event better; we can’t wait to get started.”