Against a field of more than 25 schools and 400 entries, the Gretna East speech team delivered a standout performance Friday night at Lincoln Northeast High School, earning third place overall and multiple top finishes across championship divisions. The meet came with tough competition, however. It included two of the most historically successful speech programs in the state, Millard North and Lincoln East.
“We came in right behind two of the largest teams in the activity,” speech coach Grace Kimnach said. “These results indicate that GEHS is holding its own against the toughest competition there is. Our hard work is paying off in a way that not only honors our individual students, but that also is creating a legacy for our school’s speech program.”
Griffin competitors reached finals in multiple championship-level events, including duo interpretation, program oral interpretation (POI), informative speaking and oral interpretation of drama (OID). Several entries placed among the top finishers in those divisions. Additional success came in the Nextin and Merit categories, consolation divisions where those who didn’t make the top cut can still compete in a final round. Griffin speakers in those sections captured first-place finishes and added to the team’s overall point total.
The tournament required sustained focus throughout a long and fast-paced evening. Students such as junior Sophia Cacioppo competed in multiple events with little to no downtime between rounds, moving quickly from room to room to perform back-to-back speeches.
“Being triple entered meant I didn’t have any time in between my rounds to relax,” she said. “I had to run around the school to find my rooms and perform one speech after the other the whole night, but I actually think this was beneficial to me because I stayed locked in and never dropped my performance mindset.”
Having success while competing against traditionally dominant speech programs, the recognition left a lasting impact on the team.
“There was a judge in my POI finals round that actually ranked me first above two incredible guys from Lincoln East,” Cacioppo said. “Never in a million years would I have thought that I could even come close to them, let alone convince a judge that my performance was actually better than theirs.”
Other Griffin speakers pointed toward adaptability as key to their success. Sophomore Emmalynn Naylor, who competed in both humorous interpretation and OID, categories with contrasting emotional demands, said maintaining balance was essential.
“Going from a really dramatic piece to a piece where you are supposed to make people laugh to another where you are supposed to hit a level of sadness where you make people cry can be a very hard emotional whiplash,” she said. “I centered myself before every performance and gave it my best.”
Beyond individual performances, the meet also provided opportunities for learning and improvement. Students said watching other schools perform offered new ideas for blocking, movement and overall presentation.
Even for those who did not advance to finals, the tournament helped clarify objectives for the rest of the season.
“Not getting the ranks I hoped for really shaped my goal of wanting to break into finals at least once this season,” junior Joscelyn Giron said.
The Griffin speech team will continue its season with a double-header weekend, competing Friday at Bellevue West and Saturday at Lincoln North Star, hoping to keep the momentum gained at Lincoln Northeast.
“We’ll be a force that other schools are looking out for and preparing for in the coming weeks,” Kimnach said.