Cindi Edwards sat near the front of Room 127/128 inside Harrisburg High School, a booming district a quick 10-minute drive south of South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls.
The friendly brunette was wearing a purple T-shirt — the official article of clothing celebrating the success of the oral interpretation team from her hometown of Winner — the back of which read, In a very loud world, we can be heard.
Cindi sat up straight, eyes fixed forward and attentively listened to a voice she knows and loves — that of her daughter, Amanda, who stood before the captivated room in a black dress and presented the Non-Original Oratory selection, "Learn to Listen With Your Heart."
The provocative reading written by Martha Sanders offered sound and sage advice in the interest of better living and improved understanding in simple and basic terms — so basic that it could be broken down in three, three-word phrases:
"I'll be there."
"Maybe you're right."
"Your heart knows."
Afterward, Amanda told me that of the 20-or-so oral interpretation pieces she perused, this is the one that stood out.
"I feel like the message is really good and applies to everyone," said the sophomore, who earned a superior rating from the panel of three judges — the third of her career. "Those messages are true for anyone in any phase of life, and I think if everyone were to apply them, the world would be a lot better place than it is."
Amanda, your voice was heard.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF DECEMBER 2023, voices of young adults from across South Dakota, from schools big and small, lit up the spaces of Harrisburg High School — rooms like 127/128, the Band Room, Choir Room and Ensemble Room, the PAC and the Little Theatre — as part of the 114th iteration of the South Dakota High School Activities Association State Oral Interpretation Festival.
Voices shook with drama and with comedy, with profound insight and daring suggestions, with personalized pleas and hopeful yearnings. Through it all came raw emotion and beautiful sentiments, imagined outcomes and honest vulnerability.
That's what came from Alyssa Anderson, a sophomore who goes to school in the tiny town of Henry located west of Watertown and whose voice was heard in the category of Serious Reading through "Mississippi Mirror," a powerful piece by Alan Haehnel.
"It hits home," she said of the reading that follows an unnamed person's search for a therapist to help heal the wounds that came at the hand of an abusive father — a presentation that earned her a superior rating.
While Alyssa was never physically abused, growing up with two alcoholic parents put her in counseling when she was a fourth-grader and she has spent much of her adolescence seeking therapy that sticks.
The good news? She's found healing therapy through Firefly Counseling.
More good news: Her mom was in the room.
Even better news: "I've coped. I'm able to tune into the emotions I've felt and really bring that out in the piece. And I'm pretty good at not crying in front of an entire group of people."
Alyssa, your voice was heard.
THIS PAST SUMMER, A VOICE WAS SILENCED WHEN A BELOVED SOUL WAS LOST.
Randy Vilayphone was on West Lake Okoboji on July 4, 2023 — two days following his 21st birthday — when the water vessel he was riding went under. He died four days later.
Randy, who was attending the University of South Dakota and studying psychology, had gone to school at Washington High School in Sioux Falls — he graduated in 2020 — and was a big part of the Warriors' football program.
He was also a beloved member of the school's oral interpretation team.
"He was everybody's friend," says Michelle McIntyre, head oral interpretation coach at Sioux Falls Washington the past 14 years. "What we all loved about him so much was that he believed doing this activity was about the friendships, the connections, the community; he really just had his heart in it for all the right reasons.
"He liked to win, but his goal was to immerse himself in what we do as a community. He was just beautiful."
As a way to honor who Randy was, Michelle and the Sioux Falls Washington oral interpretation community came up with the idea to establish an award in his honor called Voices of Heart and present it to an orator that carried the characteristics that defined him:
- In it for the right reasons;
- A friend to all;
- A hard worker;
- Great character.
And so it was, on Oct. 20, 2023, at Sioux Falls Washington High School's home oral interpretation tournament called Circle of Courage, that the inaugural Voices of Heart award was presented to Kaylee Willard, a bright and talented senior from Brandon Valley.
In future years, oral interpretation teams from across South Dakota will be invited to send a nominating letter for the the Voices of Heart award, but for this first year, Kaylee was identified as the recipient based on feedback Michelle heard from her team.
"All these kids are such good friends," the coach said of the oral interpretation community. "They listed off a bunch of people, but Kaylee stood out. She's got this quiet way about her, the way Randy did, and she's everybody's friend. Always has a smile on her face and a heart that's in the right place."
"It was emotional," said Kaylee, who has been part of the oral interpretation team at Brandon Valley since her freshman year and has earned state superiors in Reader's Theatre and Storytelling. "I think for the first time in my life I was speechless. I cried. It was surreal, really. It was insane to think that I have impacted people in the same way Randy did."
Kaylee, who wants to be a hospice nurse after seeing the care one of her grandparents received, is clearly deserving, say others associated with the active and excellent Lynx oral interpretation program.
“She is the ultimate team player and our greatest cheerleader," says Gina Koehn, who has spent the last 19 years as the coach at Brandon Valley and the 11 years prior in Texas. "She has had some rough tournaments this year — hasn’t been to finals — but she is there cheering the other kids on, sitting in finals rounds, clapping for them. She understands what it means to be team player, and that’s a hard concept for kids to understand in an activity where they’re up there performing by themselves.”
And Gina says Kaylee embodies the admirable characteristics of all the Lynx orators.
"They are excellent performers, but they are good people," she said. "And that's what we're going for here."
One of the good ones she's talking about is Ian Candy, another senior from Brandon Valley who was among the most decorated orators competing at the 2023 state festival. Including the gold medals he earned in Humorous Reading, Non-Original Oratory and Reader's Theatre in Harrisburg this year, Ian has pocketed nine superiors since he began competing his freshman year. His only showing that did not earn a medal was in Duet Interpretation his freshman season, and several of his top honors have come with distinction, meaning he earned a perfect score from the panel of three judges.
And — oh by the way — he has been a regular at nationals during his remarkable run.
But he didn't love oral interpretation out of the gate. In fact, he says, "I hated it."
Ian describes himself as "a shy kid" growing up and only took the speech elective because it was a curriculum requirement. But, thanks in large part to the encouragement of his coach and his mother, who has history with oral interpretation, his opinion began to change.
"You've got talent," Ian was told, and because he started in Humorous Reading — which is the most overt "audience participation" category of the six — and because he soon became inspired by the strengths of other performers — the tide quickly turned.
“I just keep falling more and more in love with it every day," he says. "It has made me who I am today."
In fact, such an impression it has left that Ian is looking into collegiate speech and says the benefits of all he has learned through oral interpretation will remain with him forever.
"I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life when speech will be over," he says. "It’s fundamental to who I am.”
As for his dear friend, teammate and first recipient of the Voices of Heart presented in memory of Randy Vilayphone, Kaylee Willard, Ian couldn't be happier.
“The best performers are the best people, and she is such a blessing to the interp community because she brings the presence of kindness wherever she goes," he says. “I never see a frown on Kaylee’s face. She’s always there being this radiant presence on the team. Whenever I’m having a hard tournament, or anyone else is having a hard tournament, the first person we go to is Kaylee. Because she's always there."
Now, in honor of another lost too soon.
Randy Vilayphone, your voice — and your spirit — live on through Kaylee and all who will follow.
SHIRLENE JOSEPH HAS BEEN HEARING VOICES for the past four decades.
As an oral interpretation coach in five difference states and has spent the last 24 years in South Dakota, she has been repeatedly impacted by the power of words, and has a deep appreciation for what these students are offering the world — and what it means for their own tomorrows.
"In society, unfortunately, before we even open our mouths, people make an opinion about us when we walk into a room or do whatever it is that we do," said Shirlene, who is originally from Dell Rapids and today lives in Deadwood. "And if we have to sell something, or disclaim something, or make our voice heard, this is the only activity that will address those needs for us for the rest of our lives. And, because of this, we can really make a difference."
Shirlene was one of 18 judges to take in and score the 2023 festival held in five sessions over the course of about 20 hours and, as has been the case in previous years, was struck speechless by the talent of these South Dakota orators.
"I just judged a poetry round and — wow," she said the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 1. "That's all I could say at the end of 15 selections. Wow. And whenever I hear anybody downplaying the youth of America, I say, "Go to an interp meet and your mind will be changed."
And she noted the power that comes in speaking, to be certain, but also in the pauses between.
"Silence does a lot," Shirlene said. "It gets our attention, it allows us to catch up, and it allows us to digest the words as an audience. And it takes an incredible amount of discipline for that performer in the room."
And while the ultimate goal for every performer is to take a proverbial bite out of that gold medal, "it doesn't always end up the way it's supposed to," she said. "But I've always told my own kids that were interpreters that you will learn more through a lesser rating than you ever will with a superior. That time when you stop in front of the room and lose your place and go, 'Oh my god,' you have just learned a wealth of information, and that's just one more thing this event does."
LIKE THE PANTONE COLOR MATCHING SYSTEM or a painter's color wheel, the presentations shared through oral interpretation range in spirit, vibe, aura and personality. The categories available to those taking part — Duet Interpretation, Non-Original Oratory, Humorous Reading, Poetry Reading, Reader's Theatre and Storytelling — offer a blank canvas with which to work and, in that, a world of possibilities.
Thor Aanenson, a sophomore at Freeman Public, is carefully intentional when choosing his pieces, which have earned him three superiors in the past two years. Two of those came in Non-Original Oratory and were cuttings from TedTalks that — with support from his coach — he and his parents found. His piece in 2022 was a statistical-based reading called "The Good News on Poverty" while this year's selection was called "Liespotting," a light look at how to recognize and deal with untruths all around, and a call for all to do better.
"I thought it was a very powerful piece and something we could all learn from," he said of this year's selection. "One of my goals in oral interp is to never have a piece that's too dark. I hear tons of oratory pieces which are speeches about suicide and sexual assault. I don't want people to have to deal with that all the time. I think it's more important from them to have something that's uplifting, because we don't have a lot that's uplifting in today's world."
Thor also won a superior in Humorous Reading at the 2023 festival — his first attempt in the category.
"Apparently I did pretty well, at least according to the judges," he laughed. "It's just an honor to be here doing what I do."
Carson Leonhardt probably feels the same way.
Like Thor, the Faulkton Area senior also competed in Class B Non-Original Oratory, also chose a piece that offered a different tone from many of the other pieces, alsochose a cutting from a TedTalk, and also won a superior for his interpretation of "Without Farmers, You'd be Hungry, Naked, and Sober" — an honest to goodness account of the vital role farmers play in the human condition, agricultural policy, and how the future of the industry can be preserved by voters who are paying attention to the challenges farmers face. It was written and first performed in 2019 by Eric R. Sannerud, a hops farmer, businessman and entrepreneur from Minnesota.
"It's something that really hits home," said Carson, who grew up in Minnesota where his parents owned a fishing resort before moving to Cresbard, South Dakota and today manage a pheasant farm and guiding service there. "This piece is as much me talking as the author. It's something special."
For Carson, the 2023 state festival was a full circle situation; he first elected to take part in oral interpretation his freshman year and started with the same piece he finished with — "Without Farmers, You'd be Hungry, Naked, and Sober."
While his conviction about agricultural has not changed, it took him a few years to fully appreciate the power of public speaking and the impact in can have.
"At that time I hadn't really grasped the concept of oral interp," he said. "Now, this year, I realized how much I like that piece and that's what got me here."
Carson plans to study business administration at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell in pursuit of a career in agricultural of some form. Know what else he's going to do at DWU?
Play football.
And in a further exploration of the variety of styles and interactions oral interpretation provides we find Kyra Rivera, a junior at Jefferson High School in Sioux Falls. Kyra appeared in the Choir Room wearing a turquoise blazer and black pants, her black hair with a blond accent pulled back tightly, and presented “Coyote Makes the Sun,” an animated, suspenseful and playful fable about a misunderstood creature of the wild who only wants to work for good.
The story, presented in the category of Class AA Storytelling, comes from a collection of Native American stories published in a book celebrating the Kiowa-Apache and other tribes of Texas and the Southern Plains, and Kyra says she was drawn to it because she felt it would connect with the audience.
“The characters have a lot to say,” she said. “Coyote is darker, but his intentions are willful and strong and hopeful for his community; he just wants to bring light and rightness to the world.”
It’s a theme that really touched Kyra, the audience and the judges who awarded her a superior.
“It just shows how people can change,” she says. “How, even though you might seem one way on the outside, on the inside you mean something more.
“You could feel the connection,” Kyra continued. “You could see that people felt what I wanted them to feel.”
Kyra, Carson and Thor, your voices were heard.
AS THE BACK OF THE PURPLE SHIRT WORN BY CINDI EDWARDS so clearly suggested, despite a noisy world that clatters and groans, often with judgement, bravado and an unwillingness for people to actually sit and listen, the things our young men and women have to say can hit hard. Like the great Leonard Cohen sings in his song Anthem, "There is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in."
That light — those voices — came in the form of 278 pieces presented to audiences and judges over the course of about 20 hours by almost 500 students from schools of all sizes, who during their 10 minutes of time afforded them, shook the world.
It has happened before, time and time again. The December 2023 festival organized by the South Dakota High School Activities Association was the 114th of its kind.
And it will happen again. And again. And again.
Thank God it will, because there is so much more to say.