Saturday, Jan. 25, the members of the Ankeny High School (AHS) Large Group Speech team headed to the district contest at Des Moines East High School, but what exactly does that mean, and what do the speech teams do when they compete?

Each year a group of students board the bus at 6:45 in the morning to head to the district contest held by the Iowa High School Speech Association(IHSSA). The location may change yearly, but the anticipation never falters, just as the travel times never get past sunrise.

A senior who has been a part of the speech program since attending Southview Middle School is Jett Tyler, who reflects on his time in the department.

“During my freshman year, Mrs. [LeAnn] Oldenburger reached out to me because they needed another person to complete the group competing in reader’s theatre,” Tyler said. “I just so happened to need another activity after school, and I’ve been here ever since then.”

For reportedly many students, their speech journey begins with the English department at Southview. Recruitment for the speech team is a seemingly jarring task, many groups rely on their members to bring friends to fill vital roles. This could begin as early as ninth grade, all the way to seniors who decide to try something new with their friends before bidding adieu to high school.

But one thing that evades the mind of many Ankeny students is, what exactly is competitive speech?

Ankeny alum Scott Kruse answered this question in his 2023 Talon article, “Just Speechy.” Kruse outlines the entire preparation and competition process from the first through the second semester as he interviews many students who have now either graduated or are set to graduate this spring.

Junior Caden McGlin shares that same perspective. He provides insight on how many of the people who walk past the speech banners and flyers every day view their significance.

“I only know surface level stuff about speech,” McGlin discussed. “I know that there are two different divisions and some of the events like improv because I had a few friends win awards, but I don’t know how most of it happens.”

In Kruse’s article, he interviews a sophomore Jett Tyler, and now he looks back at his experiences from his underclassman days to what he now knows as an upperclassman.

“My goal for the future of speech is to continue improving on my improvisation skills,” Tyler reflects. “But overall, my acting skills have improved a lot since I began, it has definitely helped me in theater at AHS.”

Kruse describes how many students avoid the activity because of the relationship they have with the seemingly clearcut name, speech.

In reality, speech is a competitive drama and performance activity. The IHSSA outlines what it desires for students who participate in speech and performing arts programs on its website.

Luke Schut, AHS English teacher and individual speech coach,  has been watching performers grow through participation in IHSSA contests since he began working in the Ankeny Community School District.

“I’ve had students who have started specifically because they were nervous about public speaking, and they did it all three years. They made it to State!” Schut said. “So, hey, they got used to it. They got better at it.”

IHSSA has been active since 1947 previously under the name The Iowa Interscholastic Speech Association, but it was created to expand and offer more opportunities for Iowa students after what began through the Iowa High School Declamatory Association in 1887. These distant beginnings created the groundwork for IHSSA to expand upon and create the contests and prestige we know today.

Per the IHSSA vision, students who are empowered to speak are also empowered to forge their own identities and futures, states the Educational Theatre Association based on research that suggests students who participate in arts programs are more likely to have higher test scores on the SAT college entrance exam.

Spectators prepare to watch a group mime performance by a team from Ankeny Centennial High School at the Iowa High School Speech Association Large Group District contest at Des Moines East High School. (River Phillips)

“To deliver something and talk confidently is useful in most instances,” Schut deliberates. “Eventually you’re going to have to give a toast at someone’s wedding or something like that and having that skill helps.”