TOPEKA — Saturday brought validation to Regina Chriestenson’s long-held belief: Iola High School “is swimming with talent” when it comes to speech and drama.
Iola brought home a pair of state championships Saturday at the Class 4A Speech and Drama Championships, hosted by Washburn Rural High School.
Garrett Prall and Emma Piazza won the duet acting competition in dominating fashion.
“I’ve never had a pair of students go 1-1-1 in finals before,” Chriestenson said, meaning the three judges all placed Prall and Piazza first with their respective votes.
Trilby Bannister — three-time state qualifier — is the champion in humorous solo acting.
With the trio of seniors leading the way, Iola took seventh as a team.
“I’m not sure historically how it compares to the other instructors, but this is the highest they’ve ranked as a team since I’ve been here,” said Chriestenson, in her fourth year as forensics adviser.
The awards didn’t end there.
Olivia Bannister, a junior, took home the sixth-place medal in oral interpretation of poetry.
Others who narrowly missed out on medals for Iola were junior Caitie Venter, who took seventh in oral interpretation of prose; freshman Zach Cokely, ninth in humorous solo acting; Prall and Olivia Bannister, ninth in improvised duet acting; and sophomore Aaron Terhune and senior Katie Terhune, 11th in IDA.
“It was just a fantastic day,” Chriestenson said. “I’m proud of them.”
Prall-Piazza team, Bannister golden
