You can hear them all the way down the hall, practicing their pieces, chatting about their day, or eating snacks. While they have fun, the Speech Team is among the hardest working people at LFHS.

Contrary to popular belief, Speech Team is more than just memorizing speeches. There are a wide range of events that require some strong acting skills, including Dramatic Interpretation, Oratorical Declamation, Impromptu Speaking, and Humorous Duet, just to name a few of the 14.

The team tries to support each other, and so far that has brought them success, freshman Vince Boberski said.

“It was really exciting when Evan Jasica (senior) won his first in his first ever tournament. When they placed the second place medal on someone else, the team was very excited that someone from LFHS was doing so well so early on into the season” Boberski said.

The team goes to tournaments on most Saturdays until February. Despite the early wake up call, there is excitement in the air and members are ready to see how they measure up against their peers. Each competition is run very similarly. That day, competitors perform their piece three different times in front of judges and other students, getting feedback, winning awards and meeting students from other schools.

Speech Team has made a positive impact on the students who compete for LFHS, sophomore Madeleine Kapsalis said..

“Through Speech Team, I have become much more comfortable with public speaking. The contestants at our tournaments are encouraging and I feel that having those good vibes around you in the competition makes it a lot easier,”  Kapsalis said.

Everyone specializes in a different event and makes their pieces special to them.

“I think our team is so unique because of the students on the team. Our meetings and rehearsals are low-key and fun, but it’s the people on the team that make it fun,” Coach Sara Dreiling said. “The members of our team encourage and support one another. This is also true of the speech community. When we go to competitions, yes, we’re competing against other schools, but everyone is really supportive of one another and looking to make friends.”

Joe Pulio, a theater and business teacher, was on his high school speech team. He says it helped him build confidence and speaking skills.

“I think I enjoyed how much fun it was and I enjoyed the acting events and I liked the competitive aspect. It was great for me because I was on it in college and many schools look favorably at students who were on Speech,” Mr Pulio said. “Kids that are on Speech become very confident in handling themselves in front of people, to speak socially and in an interview, and develop a strong sense of self confidence.”

So far, the team has been on a few tournaments at various local schools. The first tournament was Huntley Fall Fest. There, senior Evan Jasica placed first in novice Oratorical Declamation. The second tournament of the year was at Round Lake High School: freshman Felicity Whidden placed third, freshman Tally Feingold placed fifth and Annabelle Lamb placed fourth in poetry. The third tournament was at Prospect High School. Grace Gaston, a junior and one of the captains placed sixth, Feingold placed fifth, freshman Vince Boberski placed third, freshman Niki Singh placed second and Jasica placed first.

The most recent tournament was Turkey Tourney at Conant High School. There, Gaston, Singh, Jasica and sophomore Madeleine Kapsalis placed in their events. The next tournament is Saturday at Elk Grove High School.