After two years of cancellations, due to the pandemic, 37th Annual Speech Tournament Finals, for fourth-through-eighth-grade students returned to the Nevada Theatre earlier this week. It’s hosted by the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools. Tournament Coordinator Shannon Rashby says this year’s topic was “What human quality do we need more of and why?” And she says the students went in some unexpected directions, many of them relaying personal stories…

click to listen to Shannon Rashby

Fifty of the top oration students, from eleven local public and private schools, competed in a round-robin format, starting a week ago, reciting speeches three times, each time to a different judge. Three finalists from each grade were then invited to the Finals on Tuesday…

click to listen to Shannon Rashby

And the first-place winner for fourth graders was Wyatt Baldwin, from Williams Ranch School. Dexter Strubeck, from Seven Hills School, was the fifth grade winner. For sixth grade it was Austin Peters of Mount Saint Mary’s School. The seventh-grade winner was Felix Van Wagner Meade, also from Saint Mary’s. And for eighth graders, it was Toni Swansick, from Union Hill School.