On February 20th and 21st, junior Elisha Waggoner proudly represented the Mighty Panther Speech Team at the IHSA State Speech Competition. While competing in one of fifteen events—Prose Reading—Elisha showed off his true talent and skills he has acquired in the past year. After months of preparation, practice, and dedication, Elisha delivered a performance at the biggest stage in Illinois high school speech. Although he was competing against some of the most talented students across the state, he earned an impressive 14th-place finish.

Qualifying for the IHSA State Competition requires a lot of hard work. To advance, Elisha had to first place in the top four at the Regional competition finals. After moving on, Elisha then had to secure top-three at the Sectional finals. Since every round is judged completely up to different judges’ opinions, each round required not only skill and interpretation, but also poise, confidence, and the ability to connect with the judges through storytelling.

Prose Reading challenges competitors to bring a written story to life through voice, facial expressions, and gesturing. Competitors compete with a book and demonstrate emotional depth and characterization through reading and acting their material. Elisha’s dedication to refining his piece and perfecting his delivery is clear throughout his State journey.

Placing 14th at State as a junior is a testament to Elisha’s hard work and talent. With another year ahead of him, Elisha will continue to carry his newfound skills into the next year. With that, his experience at State will undoubtedly motivate him, and the rest of his team, to continue striving for greater success.

The Mighty Panther Speech Team is proud of Elisha’s commitment and achievements he has shown throughout the season. We cannot wait to see what he and the rest of the speech team will have to offer next year as they continue to build on the year’s triumphs.