Talk Jocks bring home sweepstakes trophy

The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Speech and Debate Team returned from the Green River High School meet Dec. 12 and 13 with the 1A/2A Sweepstakes trophy.

Lydia Smith, Kat Hytrek, Maya Zeiger, Amber Williams and Maisun Christie entered as finalists in their categories. Jacob Dickinson made it into semi-finals in oratory.

Hytrek earned first place in drama, Smith and Maya won second place in duet, Smith placed fourth in oratory, Christie placed fourth in poetry and Williams placed sixth in drama.

Head coach Brenda Ostendorf said the student congress speakers were strong at Green River. Ariana McKinney, Garett Wallace, Katie Moore, Gabby Clutter and David Freeman make up the CCSD#2 Student Congress.

In student congress, four students were ranked in the top eight with Clutter getting a bill passed on dying with dignity.

Wallace received a rating of three with his speech on ethanol. Moore's speech included presenting a national texting and driving bill. Moore received a five rating. McKinney's bill on US Trade and Human Rights rated a seven. Clutter's bill regarding physician-assisted suicide was passed by student congress. McKinney presented a bill on US Trade and Human Rights.

Public forum debate teams of Larissa Ford, Robin Gloss, Clutter and Moore came home with wins too. Nina Ford earned a win as a Lincoln-Douglas competitor.

The speech and debate team competed with 297 students from 19 schools.

Comments from judges included: Kat Hyterk in drama, "Very good blocking ... best in round." Larissa Ford, extemporaneous speaking: "Great comments on your sources to back up your points." Robin Gloss, extemporaneous speaking: "Good professional appearance. Like the use of your source." Jacob Dickinson: "Great facial and body gestures. Persuasive!" Maya Zeiger and Lydia Smith in duet: "Nice sound effects!" "Your transitions were spot on!" "Good voice variations!"

Death with Dignity

Clutter said she was excited when her bill, the National Death with Dignity Act, passed at the Green River meet.

Clutter has to present the bill at each meet to get it passed. This is the first bill she has had passed in her two years in student congress.

Clutter said she chose this bill because it is a controversial current issue and only four states now allow people to die with the aid of a physician. Clutter wants to make the bill national because currently terminally ill people who do not live in states that allow physician assisted suicide must reside in the allowed state for six months and in some cases families are unable to join the afflicted.

In her research, she discovered and used in her argument the criteria in which to qualify. Criteria include being diagnosed with a terminal disease having six months to live and being mentally competent. Mental competence includes the qualifications that the patient has not been diagnosed with depression or been prescribed anti-depressants in the last 10 years.

She used the case of a 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, who had terminal brain cancer and chose to take her own life.

During speech practice, Clutter presented and defended her bill. Members of the debate team challenged her with questions that might be asked by student congress. This practice helped her to prepare and solidify her argument.

Research is difficult, Clutter said, because there are so many biased views on the subject. But with further research and hearing more arguments, she hopes to defend her bill successfully at future meets.

Clutter researches medical sites on the web and watches documentaries on people who have gone through the process.

She plans to research more statistics for her arguments. So far, Clutter has spent three weeks working on the initial bill. Clutter said there is a lot of information and at first it was difficult, but with the help of her volunteer coaches, Joshua Wood and Linda Dickinson, she was able to put the speech together.

Medea Redux

Kat Hytrek won first place in drama, with the contemporary tragic piece Medea Redux.

Hytrek said she was ecstatic when she realized she had won. Hytrek is a junior and had never made it past semi-finals. As the judges announced the placings, she realized when her name wasn't called for the second place finalist that she was the first place finalist. "My face just like dropped," Hytrek said. "I just couldn't believe it." All of her teammates watched her reaction when she realized she had won first place. "They were all laughing and saying 'she knows now'," Hytrek said.

It is a story about a 13-year-old girl who is raped by her teacher and becomes pregnant. She has an unrequited love for the teacher and kills her son to avenge the rejection.

Hytrek said when she takes the stage at the speech meet, she transforms herself and becomes Medea Redux.

Hytrek's piece is a shortened version of the Latter-Day play written by Neil LuBute.