Denfeld speech meet returns for 64th year
For the 64th time, high school students will compete at Denfeld with their public speaking skills.
Captain Maria Oppelt is competing in the Discussion category.
“Basically, I get around a table with six other people, and we try to push through a discussion,” she said. “We kind of act as U.S. senators or a board of directors, and we try to solve problems within that.”
Oppelt said she’s learned an “unbelievable” amount through speech.
“If you would have seen me four years ago, you would have seen a timid girl just going into high school and just not knowing how to speak in public at all,” she said.
Coach Jill Lofald has been involved in speech for nearly 50 years.
“Watching students find their voice, gaining confidence in a safe place – I think our team and the way the program and practices work, it’s not all about the competitions,” Lofald said. “It’s really about our weekly practices, gaining skills.”
The annual Denfeld Rotary Club #25 Speech Tournament is Saturday, Feb. 1. Thirty-three schools and 600 students will come from all over the state of Minnesota.
The public is invited to watch students speak from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Denfeld High School Media Center.