Daily Sitka Sentinel

First Meet in the Books For Local DDF Teams

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe high schools took on competitors from around Southeast last weekend to kick off their drama, debate and forensics season.
Both local schools enjoyed success at the meet – held Friday and Saturday at Sitka High – with SHS scoring wins in five events, and MEHS taking home a victory in dramatic interpretation of literature.

Duo Interpretation first place winners from Sitka High, Kashfia Nahreen, right, and Dina Mato. (Sentinel Photo)

“I think we did very, very well,” said Sitka coach Stefanie Ask, “especially with how much time we had to prepare, and especially considering how much they had to do on their own.”
MEHS coach Marcia Drake said she believes she has a solid team this year.
“Enthusiasm is high and many team members have found pieces that they should be able to develop this year,” she said in a statement following the meet.
Other schools at the meet were Juneau-Douglas High School, Thunder Mountain, Ketchikan and Wrangell. It was the first meet of the season, and the usual rules were eased to allow students to take their scripts into the performance. The purpose of the meet was to ease new students into competition.
The same scoring rules were used as in regular competition, and some students were chosen for “command performances” before an audience of all coaches and competitors at the Performing Arts Center.
SHS
Ask said most of the competitors on the Wolves squad had only two practices and two weeks to prepare, and that lead time included the time-consuming process of finding the pieces.
“(The pieces) were all very, very fresh, but also very promising,” the coach said.
She said the veterans scored well, and she was impressed by some of the newcomers, including the foreign exchange students, freshmen and new sophomores.
“We’re looking at good seasons for all those people – Jack Petersen, Ahna Cushing, Will Pate, Michael Boose and Celia Lubin,” Ask said, naming some of the returning DDF team members. “But we had some new people who are going to be outstanding.”
Boose, Lubin and Pate took home first in reader’s theater. Jack Petersen and his partner Debbie Yearwood, were first in pantomime, and foreign exchange students Kashfia Nahreen (Bangladesh) and Dina Mato (Albania) won the duo interpretation of literature contest.
Mato paired with Lubin to win the debate contest, and took home third place in humorous interpretation of literature.
One freshman competitor who came on strong was Michael Middleton, who placed third in extemporaneous speaking.
Evan Ipock, a sophomore who just moved back to Sitka from Oregon, had an “outstanding meet” as well, the coach said.
The coach is predicting “great things” from her performers for the year.
Ask said she wanted to thank all the community members who came out to help judge and organize, and former coach Eve Arp, who came back to town from the Wenatchee, Wash., area to help.
“She was amazing; I’m in debt to her forever,” Coach Ask said.
Sitka Results
Duet Acting: 3rd – Kristine Banh and Michael Boose; 4th – Brody Armstrong and Ahna Cushing; 6th – Addie Fowler and Itzel Nunez
Reader’s Theater: 1st – Michael Boose, Will Pate, and Celia Lubin
Pantomime: 1st – Jack Petersen and Debbie Yearwood; 2nd – Will Pate; 6th – Shelby White and Zak Wright
Duo Interpretation: 1st – Kashfia Nahreen and Dina Mato; 2nd – Julia Middleton and Jack Petersen
Humorous Interpretation: 3rd – Kashfia Nahreen
Dramatic Interpretation: 5th – Mackenzie Whitson
Original Oration: 1st – Annemarie Pike; 3rd – Addie Fowler
Expository Speech: 4th – Annemarie Pike
Extemporaneous Speaking: 3rd – Michael Middleton
Extemporaneous Commentary: 4th – Kashfia Nahreen
Speaker Points for debate: 1st – Celia Lubin; 2nd – Annemarie Pike; 7th – Zak Wright; 9th – Evan Ipock; 10th – Julia Middleton
Public Forum Debate: 1st – Celia Lubin and Dina Mato; 2nd – Evan Ipock and Annemarie Pike

MEHS
Drake said Edgecumbe students at this first meet had just enough time to find pieces and work on them.
“The workshop style of this meet allowed students to get a solid feel for their acting and speaking selections and really think through improving them,” she said. “As a coach I am very grateful for the helpful feedback judges gave during the competition rounds on Saturday. Those ballot sheets with constructive feedback to students are just as helpful as their actual performances during this early stage of the season. As always, Sitka judges came through for students.”
MEHS had 20 competitors at the meet, about half of whom are new to the team.
MEHS Results:
Dramatic Interp: Breezi McClenahan of Sitka placed first. Breezi’s piece, “13 Reasons Why,” explores the reasons why a teenage girl commits suicide. “Breezi got the emotion and complexity of this issue right,” Drake said. “As a coach, I look forward to helping her develop this piece throughout the season.”
Humorous Interp: Aana Rangitch (Palmer) placed 5th with her performance of an encounter at a nail salon. “Anyone who has ever been to a salon will enjoy this encounter,” the coach said.
Debate Individual Speaker points: Hailey Stumpf (Craig) took fifth.
Debate: Hailey Stumpf and Zack Curran (Anchorage) placed sixth. David John (Bethel), Hailey Shervey (Craig), and Anna Rangitch (Palmer) took fourth. The coach said the debate teams’ record for the meet was 4-2.
“They all debated well and their preparation helped them immensely,” Drake said. “Stumpf was relentless in crossfire, which explains her ranking. New debaters Curran and Rangitch were impressive. I look forward to an exciting debate season with Janet Drake returning as our debate coach and several enthusiastic debaters.”
Readers Theater: Hailey Stumpf (Craig), Breezi McClenahan (Sitka), Mia Naverez (Sitka), and Korbin Storms (Unalakleet) placed fifth. Anthoni Wilde (Hooper Bay), Casey Phillips (Sitka), Alyssa Afcan (Marshall), Kayci Andrews (Mountain Village), and Vasila Fisher (Kwethluk), placed sixth.