Speech Team places 3rd at State Novice Tournament

Heidelberg’s Speech Team placed 3rd at the Ohio Forensics Association’s State Novice Tournament hosted by Ohio University on January 25. This annual tournament is open to every college and university in the State of Ohio. Competing for the Berg were first-year students Rena Burris of Huron, Ohio, Tonja Bradley of Rootstown, Ohio, and Carson Elchert of Tiffin.

Rena, a nursing major with a minor in psychology, placed 6th with her informative speech on the use of AI in cancer research. Placing 7th in informative speaking was Carson, who is majoring in education and presented a speech on the ever-evolving models of tornado forecasting. Contributing to the team’s 3rd-place ranking was Bradley, who is majoring in history with a minor in political science. She presented an informative speech on the therapeutic technique commonly used when treating trauma known as EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

Director of Forensics Dan Higgins had this to say about the team: “Our entire squad consists of first-year competitors who have shown tremendous growth and worked incredibly hard all school year to achieve this weekend’s success. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this new team.”

The speech team will travel to the University of Akron on Feb 14-15 for the State Varsity Championship tournament.