“The world is our stage and we still talk to walls!” JHS SPEECH!!!!!

 Head Coach: Amy Peters School; Cell Assistant Coach: Ashley Karlsson (Elementary School) Assistant Coach: Maggie Holbeck (Middle School) (office)

 Head Captains Emily Stocker (Storytelling) and Carissa Lewis(Ex Reading)Emily Stocker Carissa Lewis  Captain Annika K Sidhu (in charge of info, oo and great speeches)Annika K Sidhu  Captain Sarah Osborne (in charge of creative, Humorous and Duo)Sarah Osborne  Captain Barbara Stier (in charge of prose, poetry & drama)Barbara Stier  Captain/WebMaster Austin Hovland (in charge of disco and x speaking)Austin Hovland  Assistant webmaster Odin Pass

 Participation in Speech is an incredibly rewarding experience and will enhance communication skills for life!  Famous folks who participated in speech and debate include Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela, and news correspondent Tom Brokaw to name a few.  The Jordan High School Speech Team has grown incredibly in both size and enthusiasm over the past few years: from approximately 12 participating students in to a team of over 50 students this year!  In addition to weekly practices, the team participates in competitive tournaments on Saturdays throughout February and March. There are also some Junior High meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 WORKSHOPS: Meet in the commons of JHS at 9:00am.  Saturday, November 23 rd from 9am-Noon for all writing categories (Info, Creative, Great Speeches, OO, Disco, Ex Speaking)  Saturday, December 7 th : All Interp categories (Storytelling, Ex Reading, Creative, Duo, Humor, Prose, Poetry, Drama)  Please have your speech fee paid before workshop, or at least a down payment.

 PRACTICE STARTS MONDAY JANUARY 6 th !!!!!!!  MEETS: Are on Saturdays mainly in February and March, with a couple of Jr. High (7 th -9 th grade) meets on a Tuesday or Thursday.  ****We will need 8-10 judges for each meet….see me if you would like to learn how to be a judge. It pays $75 per meet  WE WILL ALSO NEED PARENT VOLUNTEERS AT THE HOME MEETS!!!!

 Saturday January 18 th : Chanhasen ??  Saturday February 1 st : Prior Lake ??  Saturday February 8 th : JHS: 8:00am -1:00pm  Saturday February 15 th : NYA: 7:30am-1:00pm  Thursday February 20 th : Jr. High Meet at HOME 3:00-8:00  Saturday February 22 nd : St. Anthony Village: 6:45am-4:00pm  Saturday March 1 st : Shakopee: 8:00-3:00  Thursday March 6 th : Jr. High Meet at Mankato Loyola: 2:30- 8:30  Saturday March 8 th : MRC CONFERENCE MEET 7:30am- 3:00pm  Saturday March 15 th : Janesville 7:00am-4:00pm  Friday April 4 th : SECTIONS at Belle Plaine 2:00pm-9:00pm  Friday April 11 th, Saturday April 12 th : STATE at Blaine

 At any given speech meet, you compete against anywhere from 6 to 50+ other speech teams. The competitors will be separated into their categories and will face off against 6-8 other speechies within their category. Each group will be evaluated by one judge.

 T WO B ASIC F ORMATS : F INALS AND N O F INALS  At virtually all meets, you will compete in three preliminary rounds, meaning you will perform your speech three times against (in most cases) three different combinations of speechies in your category. Some meets use your preliminary round scores as the basis of awarding medals. At other meets, the preliminary rounds will be used to determine the top 6-8 performers in each category who will then compete in a fourth and final round which is then used to determine the final winners. At some meets with final rounds, your preliminary round scores are factored into the final rankings; at others, they are not factored in. Meet rounds usually start at 9:00, 10:30, and 12:00. Finals start around 1:30. These times are approximate.

 S PEECH S CORES : R ANKS AND P ERCENTAGES After each time you give your speech, the judge will give you two scores: a rank and a percentage. The rank is how well you performed when compared to the other speechies; you want as low a rank as possible (a “1” is a 1st place, a “5” is a 5th place, etc.). A percentage is the judge’s evaluation of how polished your presentation was; you want as high a percentage as possible. A “100” means your speech was perfect (these are very rare). Usually the percentages do not descend below 85. After each speech meet, your coaches will give you a rundown of your scores. They will say your rank and then your percentage for each round. For example, if the coach says “in the first round, you got a 1-98,” that means you ranked first in that round and your percentage of 98 means you were impressive in your delivery.

 A WARDS AND R EACTIONS Awards at given at the end of each tournament along with your ranks and percentages. On the bus ride back to Jordan, the coaches will debrief you about what your scores were and how we need to move forward from there. If your scores are strong, we need to continue doing what we are already doing; if your scores are lower than we would like, we need to reevaluate our approach to your speech and/or your category.

DO:  Dress appropriately.  Be on time — or, better yet, early — for your rounds.  Be polite to judges and contestants (but don’t “kiss up”).  Pay attention to other speakers, and applaud when they finish.  Wait for the judge to indicate they are ready for you to begin.  Smile before you begin.  Make eye contact with the whole audience, not just the judge.  Articulate clearly, especially with consonants like “t” and “d”.  Make eye contact and smile after you have finished.  Leave a note or alert the judge if you are double-entered and will be late or need to leave early.  Relax and have fun!

DO NOT:  Enter a room when someone is speaking.  Leave before the round is over.  Say negative things about yourself or about anyone else.  Make a face or apologize if you make a mistake.  Begin speaking before the judge is ready.  Rush back to your seat when you are done.

 When at a speech meet, you are a representative of your school, team, and community; you are expected to be suitably dressed.  Appropriate dress for a speech meet is not just “looking nice” because that could mean any number of outfits, some of which are not appropriate. A better phrase is “look professional.” Dress like you would if you were going to a formal job interview.  We expect you to remain in your SPEECH ATIRE until AFTER awards!!!!!

 You need to provide your own “professional-looking” wardrobe for speech meets. If you have trouble providing appropriate clothing, or if you are not sure if your outfit is appropriate, bring this problem to the attention of your coaches immediately; based on the situation, the coaches will work with you to find an appropriate outfit.  Students generally wear business-type clothing. Black is worn by many as the color of choice.  For boys this means: dress pants(or a suit), shirt, tie, dress socks and dress shoes.  For girls this means: dress pants or skirt, dress shirt, dress shoes and socks. Or a suit (skirt or pants), or a skirt and dressy sweater.

 You are assigned a 25-minute weekly practice with one of the coaches. This time will be the same every week; if there is no school on your practice day, the coaches and you will schedule a make-up practice.  In addition, we expect you to practice once a week with your peer practice partner(s). You will arrange this practice time and location together.  It is your responsibility to remember when your practices are! Arrive EARLY for your practice and be ready to work when your time begins. The coaches work with you (to an extent) to find a time that works for you; missing a practice not only delays your progress but also shows a lack of respect to your coaches.  M AKE -U P P RACTICES If you are absent on the day of a practice due to illness or a school-related activity, you need to reschedule a time to practice with your coach. Each week, the coaches have plenty of make-up times on their schedules, so it is your responsibility to make up the time you missed.

We ask that you meet with another student or other students to have 1 additional practice each week.

 To maximize your practice time, there are several basic rules and expectations the coaches have for you:  (1) A RRIVE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES EARLY. Arriving early guarantees that you will get all of your practice time, and it might even get you additional work time.  (2) B RING ALL YOUR MATERIALS ! You will get a binder in which you can store most of your speech materials: script, critique sheets, etc. Always bring everything you need to practice!  (3) F OCUS ON P RACTICE ! Silence your cellphone, put your homework away, and be mentally prepared to work! Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and your coaches’ time.  (4) D EMONSTRATE GROWTH SINCE YOUR LAST PRACTICE ! Prove to your coach that you have been working on your own. Share the ideas you’ve come up with on your own. It’s not the coaches’ job to come up with ALL the ideas for you!

 There will be times when the coaches need to address the team as a whole and will schedule a team meeting. These will usually be in the morning before school and/or during Channel One or briefly after school. Early in the season, the team will discuss a meeting time that best suits the team’s schedule. Once that time is set, the coaches will do their best to schedule team meetings during that agreed-upon time.  When a meeting is called, the coaches will announce it in the morning bulletins and on the television screens several days in advance. If you have a conflict, talk to your coaches before the meeting to get the information. You NEED to contact the coaches regarding your absence.  You are expected to attend team meetings! Unacceptable reasons for missing team meetings include sleeping in, simply forgetting, or (of course) purposefully skipping it. In such a case, the coaches and you will discuss your absence and appropriate consequences of your absence.

 While we strive for everyone to reach State, we realize that every year some speechies’ seasons will end earlier than others. Speechies whose seasons end at Sub-sections or Sections are still a part of the team, and the coaches will do their best to be able to bring all interested speechies to the Section and State meets as observers. Furthermore, while Jordan has the honor of hosting the Sections tournament, the coaches fully expect all speechies (those participating and those participating) to assist at the meet. Assignments will be designated prior to the meet, and you are expected to complete yours.

 Toward the end of the season, the team schedules a team banquet. The banquet will be held in the high school commons unless a speech team member volunteers to host the banquet. D INNER  We will have a dinner planned for the team. Usually this is a potluck dinner, however you may be asked to bring a certain type of food. A WARDS AND P RESENTATIONS  After dinner is over, the coaches will present a number of awards to the speech team members, including individual achievement awards and assignments of coaches for the next season. Y OUR A TTENDANCE IS R EQUESTED !  We strongly encourage you to attend the banquet! It means a lot to your coaches and team members to have one final get-together before we all go our separate ways. Please attend with your family!

 Binder and inserts