Forensics Students Score High At State

Seven members of the GHS Forensics Team traveled to the State tournament this past weekend to showcase their pieces in front of the judges at the highest level of competition.

At the beginning of the year, Forensics students chose a piece of poetry or prose from a wide variety of categories and perform it for judges throughout the year.  Freshman Adele Servais, a gold medal winner in the Solo Humorous category, credits the amount of time she spent with her piece for her success at State.

“I think that my performance at state was definitely my best, and I was very happy that I was able to make everyone laugh while I was performing–it made the entire experience more enjoyable,” she said.  “It takes a lot to get there though, as one’s piece and performance needs to grow over the course of the season. Gaining a lot of critique from judges over many tournaments and practicing every week allows me to fine-tune different aspects of my performance and make it the best that it can be,” Servais said.  

Junior Michaela Sarenac, a gold medal winner in poetry, also believes that her success is due to the amount of work she put in over the season.

“At the start of the season I was rocky with my pieces, but as time went on I improved a lot,” she said.

Although it may seem like a nerve-wracking experience to many, Forensics students love speaking in front of judges for a critic.

“I have been in Forensics for two years now. Last year, GMS started Forensics and it was great to get that experience, Servais said.  “Throughout my high school career, I want to stay in Forensics because it’s so much fun to challenge yourself and you meet so many different types of people.”

All seven of the Greendale team members performed exceptionally well at State.  Along with Sarenac, freshmen Mary Haag, Leah Unruh, and Servais all won gold medals in their categories.  Freshman Isabella Roman took home a silver medal for her Prose performance, and junior Asalah Jammaleden and freshman Alicia Garcia took home bronze medals.

“My performance at state was the best performance I did all season,” Haag said.

David Freitag, Forensics coach, is extremely proud of everyone who competed at the tournament.

“The students did great overall! To get a gold medal, you must receive a perfect score,” he said.

 For both Sarenac and Servais, the people they meet at meets are the best part of Forensics.

“The people have always been my favorite part of Forensics, and this year I met a boy from Germany and so many other incredible people,” Sarenac said.

Servais loves the sense of community she feels at the meets.

“My favorite memory from this season was definitely the state meet. I thought that it was going to be very stressful and difficult to get through, but it was so relaxed and everyone was just trying to have a good time,” she said.  “Every competitor was proud that they had gotten there, but there was an overwhelming sense of pride in others–we had all made it to state!”

For Unruh, an Oratory performer, watching others is the most enjoyable part of meets.

“My favorite memory from this season was getting to watch Solo Humorous Performances,” Unruh said.

Everyone who competed at State enjoys every aspect of Forensics and plans to continue competing throughout high school.

“It’s a great confidence builder that I think everyone should be a part of,” Servais said.