Twenty years ago as a speech student at East Union I would have never imagined I would be a Speech Coach, let alone a Speech Contest Manager. Now that I’m here and East Union is shining in this speech era we have created, I would not want it any other way. As a student, community member, and now staff member I have never been more proud to be an Eagle!
Looking back 4 years ago when this process all started I was nervous, overwhelmed, and newer to the speech “coaching” world. Due to the COVID pandemic, we delayed our hosting so other schools that had previously signed up to host prior to the pandemic could do so. For the first time in at least 32 years East Union opened its doors to host the Individual Events District Speech Contest on Saturday, February 24th. Our small but mighty Eagle Nest flocked with participants, speech coaches, and guests from 23 different schools.
This event would not have been possible without the support of our Eagle village and my amazing students who not only participated in events but also helped time rooms in between their events. We received so much feedback from the day, it is impossible to share it all. While I have received several congratulatory emails, I am not the one that deserves all the credit and accolades. I would like to thank the following volunteers that made this event everything it was.
To ALL my volunteers, whether you were the Friday night set-up crew, kitchen staff and helpers, door greeters, door monitors, room chairs, timers, runners, office and tab room workers, administration, athletic trainer, volunteer coordinator, money collectors, teacher room hosts, or the “I’ll do anything” workers, THANK YOU! Your kind, warm, inviting smiles made everyone at East Union feel welcomed and appreciated!
Friday Night Set-up Crew: Valerie White, Sharon Swanson, Gary Clear, Andrea Clear, Zach Clear, Zayett Clear, Zaylen Clear, Cyler Wuebker, Nate McCollough, Aiden Denton, Jensen Waigand, Hunter Swanson, Khloe Parker, Mia Tallmon, Rebecca Young, and Kathryn Lack.
Kitchen Staff: Bonnie Castillo, Rhonda Driskill, Darla Parker, Joselyn McWilliams, Abigail Lincoln, Alegra Henley, Mary Brammer, and Jennifer Jackson.
Door Greeters: Bill Meiners, Deb and William Richardson, Sheila Sutton, and Cindy Cheers
Door Monitors, Room Chairs, Runners, and Timers: Debbie Aldrich, Kammie Huntington, Janet York, Laura Walters, Lexi Hansen, Wyatt Fraizer, Alyssa Love, Lindsey Mohr, Kristie Nixon, Jason Driskill, Maddie Simmons, Gwen Nixon, Valerie White, Jesse White, Darla Parker, Cyler Wuebker, Riley Townsend, John Walsh, Audrey Young, Jacklyn Campbell-Mills, Deb Richardson, William Richardson, Ben Walters, David Mixdorf, Laura Sterns, Zach Holtzmeyer, Zayette Clear, Zaylen Clear, and Josie Chew.
Administration: Joan Gordon, Tim Kuehl, and Bill Meiners
Teacher Hosts: Ms. Eklund, Mr. Fluckey, Mrs. Pettitt, Mr. Patten, Ms. Hoadley, Mrs. Kinyon, Mrs. Cheers, Mr. Updike, Ms. Cochran, Mr. Christensen, Mrs. Fariss, Mr. Hardy, Mrs. Kendrick, Ms. Reising, Mrs. Richardson, Ms. Eisenman, Mr. Clark, and Ms. Vaughan.
Tab Room and Office: Lisa Hensel, Crystal Denton, Jean Kinyon, Paula Barnett, and Sara Thompson
To our food and hospitality providers; Eagle Espresso Coffee, Casey’s General Store, The Purple Cow, The Roost, and Subway: THANK YOU! You ALL provided a little taste of Union County to our SW Iowa guests. Your one of a kind menu’s and special services left our judges, coaches, volunteers, and bus drivers happy.
To Mr. Cooley and Mr. Erlbacher’s classes: THANK YOU! Your assistance with filling up the kitchen and hanging signs was a time saver in the evening.
To Laura Feld: THANK YOU! Your kind and generous donations to our Speech and Drama program is forever appreciated. Your dedication and commitment to supporting East Union from afar is cherished by many. Your donation of baked goods from The Purple Cow was the talk of the contest. We left all of our guests wanting more.
To our Afton Community Club and Afton Star: THANK YOU! Thank you for your support and continuous posts and articles about our speech event.
To our Janitorial staff; Tammy Airhart, Jodie Weis, Eric Anderson and Mike Nelson: THANK YOU! Your countless hours of making sure every corner of our school was clean for guests doesn’t go unnoticed. Tammy and Jodi, thank you for providing contest day support from trash removal, food deliveries, bathroom clean-up. You name it, they were part of it!
To my husband and Activities Director, Nate McCollough: THANK YOU! Your unconditional love and support of our speech and drama department is off the charts. You are my shining star and voice of reason. I wouldn’t be able to do this without your neverending support. From setting up Friday night, to time keeper in a center Saturday, you did it all with grace and kindness. You have been the driving force behind blending athletics and fine arts together at East Union.
To my dad, Gary Clear: THANK YOU!! Thank you for being an amazing room chair host. You have been the #1 supporter of all things East Union for as long as I can remember. You didn’t have to drive the speech kids this time but that didn’t stop you from providing your love and support to ALL speech kids at our contest. Your Eagle Pride is contagious and you let everyone know just how proud you are of them everyday!
To my Central Office Secretary, Dawn Arnold: THANK YOU! Thank you for all your help and support to ensure all aspects of the contest were well cared for and accurate. Your continued support of all events and students at East Union are appreciated.
To my Technology Director, Lori Paup: THANK YOU! Thank you for setting up and ensuring all our technology needs were met for the day. Technology is an integral part of our speech world and you made sure it went smoothly.
To my speech kids; Jensen Waigand, Brock Driskill, Aiden Denton, Hunter Swanson, Khloe Parker, Mia Tallmon, Rebecca Young and Kathryn Lack. THANK YOU! You have empowered me to be a better person. You have embarked on a journey many fear. Your willingness to be vulnerable and express yourself is hands down impeccable. You were able to lean on each other and willing to open your school up to 23 other schools. While ensuring our Speech Contest went smoothly, you also rocked your events. Earning Division 1 ratings and advancing to State Contest at ADM in Adel on March 9th: Rebecca Young, Storytelling; Mia Tallmon, Storetelly; Aiden Denton, Radio News; and Khloe Parker, Radio News.
Earning Division II ratings, performing very well: Jensen Waigand, Radio News; Kathryn Lack, Literary Program + Prose; Rebecca Young, Literary Program; Mia Tallmon, Literary Program; Brock Driskill, Spontaneous Speaking + Improvisation; and Hunter Swanson, Spontaneous Speaking.
To my speech kids’ parents: THANK YOU! Thank you for allowing me to coach your kids. They are all involved in many other activities but when given the task, they always make speech a priority. Thank you for the early morning and late evening rides to and from practices and events. You have raised some pretty amazing kids and I’m lucky to have them as my speech kids!
To my CAST Scheduler, Matt Schmidt from Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson: THANK YOU. Thank you for helping me with my first ever Skeleton schedule, problem-solving drops, substitutions, and the overwhelming behind the scenes work. You did this all with grace and positivity all while planning and scheduling your own Speech Contest. You made hosting FUN!
To our District Representative Laura Granger, THANK YOU! Thank you for ALL your support and guidance throughout the day. My experience as a first time Contest Manager was absolutely amazing. This is because of your positive energy, willingness to take charge in whatever capacity needed, and your wealth of knowledge of IHSSA.
To our IHSSA Executive Director Stacy Hansen, THANK YOU! Thank you for ALL your hard work, guidance, late evening and early morning phone calls. Your patience and grace allowed me to feel confident in being able to host the contest. Your support of all Speech coaches and Speech students speaks volumes with your unwavering dedication.
To my Judges: THANK YOU. Thank you for opening your arms and caring for all our speech kids. You established a fun, safe, and positive atmosphere during our contest. You also welcomed the support of many volunteers to assist you throughout the day. Thank you for giving East Union a chance and judging for us. Your commitment to the IHSSA is extremely appreciated.
To all of the SW Coaches: THANK YOU. Thank you for joining us at District IE Contest. My first contest was a positive experience because of your kindness, patience, and flexibility throughout the day. It means more than I can put into words. Thank you for being understanding as we worked through posting rating issues. Your dedication to our speech kids is unmatched and not for the faint of hearts. Keep supporting our speech kids no matter how big or small the victory is. They are better because of you. A special thank you to Don May of Clarke and Manda Thomas of CAM! Your assistance throughout the day and positive affirmations meant the world to me.
Thank you ALL once again for your support of our East Union Speech and Drama Department.
Mrs. McCollough, Speech Coach
