Welcome to our 1st Annual JH Speech Meet at Creighton Public! 

 

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Creighton Public Community School, Creighton, NE

 

Start Time: Please bear with us as we navigate our first year. We would like to be cognizant of the distance some schools travel. We are using the 9:00 AM start for a synchronous full grouping Round 1, Round 2 at 10:30 AM, Round 3 at noon.  We will start extempt draws 15 minutes before the start of each round. (8:45, 10:15, 11:45)

 

Scoring: Three rounds no finals. Regular scoring of rank, score, and reciprocal will be used. 

 

Judges: Please supply 1 judge for every 6 speakers. In addition to any of your adult judges used, if you have experienced, older high school speakers who would be able to provide positive and high quality critiques you are encouraged to utilize them for judges. Bring extra judges if you like. This is an excellent opportunity for your varsity speakers to experience the judge's perspective.  Once you register, I will give you an opportunity to designate your judge's experience/event preferences. 

 

Fees: $5 per event covered by a judge.  Every uncovered judge is $30. 

 

Due: Please register your entries on Speechwire by Thursday, April 9th, 2026. 

 

Awards: We hope to offer a great learning opportunity for our young 7th-8th grade (6th graders at your discretion) speakers through positive encouragement and gentle critiques. We will medal out six places in all 12 events, with ribbons for three places in each round per event. 1st and 2nd place plaques will recognize outstanding team effort. A slideshow of students' names in no particular order will display the medalists ASAP following Round 3. 

 

Events: Students may single, double, or triple entered. Reserve your triple entries to students who can manage their time. Please remind your multiple entered speakers to write their name on the board in the room where the judge may be waiting on them. Extempers should go do their extemp event first. Duets and OID members will need to coordinate and plan to minimize wait times. (Example: if an OID team has an extemper, the team should coordinate a plan to complete their individual events before arriving at the OID room, or vice versa)

 

1. Impromptu- will medal but not score for team points. Each speaker has a 10-minute block of time in which they will draw (choice of three) a topic prompt, prepare, and present a speech. Notecards are allowed but optional. BYO cards and writing utensil. 

 

2. Duet Improv- will medal but not score for team points. Each duo has a 5-minute block of time in which they will draw (choice of three) a situational prompt, five minutes to prepare, and maximum 5 minute improvovised interpretation of the prompt. No cards will be used. 

 

3. Declamation- is an 8-minute maximum performance of a cutting (or whole) famous, exemplary, or impactful speech previously delivered publicly.  Must include a student-written introduction describing the setting, timing, and impact of the chosen piece. The emphasis of this event is the delivery skills of the speaker. The speaker may use a full script, binder, notecards, or be memorized. 

 

4. Extempt- is a 7-minute maximum speech based on a drawn (choice of three) topic prompt immediately followed by 30 minutes of preparation time. Topics will NOT be high school level, but rather pertinent topics a typical junior high student could hold an opinion about. Students may use their own laptop/Chromebook and internet (internet password will be provided), but use of ChatGPT or other AI writing sites will be monitored. BYO cards, writing utensil, and device. While we will make every effort to work through technology issues, extra time will not be added for those experiencing technical difficulties. Please have your students test their connections and resolve issues before they draw. Students are welcome to utilize their own hotspots as well. 

 

5. Humorous Prose- is a 10-minute maximum performance of a humorous cutting from a book, short story, play, screenplay, etc. by one person. The piece must include a student wrtitten introduction, and students may perform with or without the script. 

 

6. Serious Prose- is a 10-minute maximum performance of a humorous cutting from a book, short story, play, screenplay, etc. by one person. The piece must include a student wrtitten introduction, and students may perform with or without the script. 

 

7. Poetry- is an 8-minute maximum performance of one poem or a group of poems related by topic or author. The piece must include a student-written introduction but transitions are optional. Speakers must perform with the script in hand (binder or other). 

 

8. Program of Oral Interpretation (POI) - is a 10-minute maximum program of varied genres of literature. The program should center around a theme or highlight a particular argument or message about a topic. The program must include a student-written introduction with supporting transitions, etc., throughout the piece as needed. The speaker must have a full script in hand (binder or flat) during the program. 

 

9. Persuasive Speaking - is an 8-minute maximum Public Speaking event where the speaker's purpose is to persuade the audience to hold a certain perspective or inspire a change in behavior. No visual aids are used in Persuasive speaking. The speaker may use a full script, binder, notecards, or be memorized. The Public Speaking events of Persuasive, Informative, and Entertainment may be combined or split to accommodate entry numbers. 

 

10. Informative/Entertainment- is a combined category of an 8-minute maximum Public Speaking event where the speaker's purpose is to either inform or entertain the audience. Visual aids are encouraged in both Informative and Entertainment speaking. The speaker may use a full script, binder, notecards, or be memorized. The Public Speaking events of Persuasive, Informative, and Entertainment may be combined or split to accommodate entry numbers. 

 

11. Duet Acting/Duo Interpretation- is a 12-minute maximum performance of two speakers performing a cutting of a play, skit, or screenplay. Either the duet style or the duo interp style may be utilized. Duet-style performances allow for multiple characterizations and any combination of a table and two chairs to be used as staging. Scripts are optional. Duo Interpretation style performance allows for music stands, boxes, or stools/chairs. If using duo interpreation style, a script must be in hand and use off-stage focus and not purposefully touch the other speaker, similar to OID.  A student-written introduction is expected. 

 

12. Oral Interpreation of Drama (OID)- is a 15-minute maximum performance of a cutting of a play, book, or screenplay performed by 3-5 students. Students may play multiple roles. Staging options include any combination of music stands, boxes, and or chairs/stools, only one per group member. (Example: if you have 4 OID members, you could use 4 boxes/1 box & 3 stands/ 2 boxes & 1 chair & 1 stool, etc.) Off and on stage focus is permitted, and scripts are required in hand (binders or flat). A student-written introduction is expected.

 

 

There will be a concession stand. Judges will be given a voucher for a meal. 

 

In case of inclement weather, a 2 hour late start may be utilized. If travel is deemed unsafe, the meet will be cancelled. 

 

I'm sure I am forgetting a ton of items and will be adding to this page. 

 

Head Coach - Sharla Hanzlik sharlahanzlik@chsbulldogs.org

 

Speechwire Manager - Kortney Sayers kortneysayers@chsbulldogs.org  (402) 640-0174

(vr24)