Call or email

I'm writing this blog from the comfort of my bed. I use comfort loosely, as I am pretty sick. It is my supreme hope to make it in to work tomorrow, but with the first tournament this weekend, I feel awful having missed practice all week. So, if you have questions or concerns, please email or call me.

Good luck to those of you competing at Eden Prairie on Saturday! Good luck also to those of you competing in Solo/Ensemble!

Eden Prairie Information

There are 28 students (30 entries) going to Eden Prairie this Saturday, Jan. 31 (listed below). Yay for the first tournament! Like many of you, I won't be there, so it's important you are on top of things. Coaches Andy Charrier and Emily Shannon will be in charge. As it is a small group, we will only be taking one bus. We always board the bus in the upper parking lot (teacher's lot). BE THERE AT 6:55 A.M. (And this is a later one...) Remember, you must call if you have a last minute emergency and can't be there. Because I won't be attending this tournament (I will be sadly out of town; trust me, I'd rather be with you all), you will need to call Coach Andy Charrier at 651-387-8305. Don't call after 10 P.M. or before 5 A.M. This is for illness only! You can't just decide you don't want to go and call. The bus will return at about 6 P.M. (but don't set your clock by it, as tournament schedules can easily get behind).

SEE MRS. HEINIS ASAP WITH QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.

Eden Prairie Final List
Armstrong, Shannon
Barrett, Abbie
Branch, Ashley
Brundrett, Chelsea
Ebeling, Brittany
Egge, Brianna
Gore, Madeline
Gundel, Tye
Healy, Emily
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Keller, Joan
Koch, Lauren
Kunkel, Adam
Larson, Jeff
Longley, Maddy
Longley, Ryan
Malay, Ashley
O'brien, Grace
Putz, Leah
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Slinger, Dylan
Slutsky, Michael
Steinkamp, Jeff
Sweere, Melissa
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate
Zeru, Meron

Extemp Speaking Practice

Details are in your mailbox. But a reminder that we will practice on 3 days this week:

Monday @ 5:30
Thurs @ 5:30
Friday @ 5:30 (mock tournament, ending at 7:30)

Andy.

Eden Prairie Registration

The following people are signed up to compete at Eden Prairie in the following categories. If you are on this list, but cannot go, see me before Thursday to avoid the fee. If you are NOT on this list, but want to go, also see me before Thursday. I am double-entering everyone I know about, so let me know if that is inaccurate as well.

Tournament info will be posted next week before the tournament.

Armstrong, Shannon Duo (w/Maddy)
Barrett, Abbie OO and Prose
Branch, Ashley Ext. Speaking
Brundrett, Chelsea Ext. Reading
Ebeling, Brittany Poetry
Egge, Brianna Informative
Gore, Madeline Creative Expression
Gundel, Tye Drama
Healy, Emily Informative
Keller, Joan Creative Expression
Koch, Lauren Ext. Reading
Kunkel, Adam Creative Expression and OO
Larson, Ashley Ext. Reading
Larson, Jeff Storytelling
Longley, Maddy Duo (w/Shannon)
Longley, Ryan Discussion
Malay, Ashley Drama
O'brien, Grace Great Speeches
Putz, Leah Prose
Radford, Kallie Discussion
Rajavuori, Starla Drama
Slinger, Dylan Ext. Speaking
Slutsky, Michael Humorous
Steinkamp, Jeff Humorous
Sweere, Melissa OO
Vivant, Taylor OO
Vold, Kate Ext. Reading
Zeru, Meron Discussion (no Disco DE)

List of Glory

Instead of a List of Shame, I am now printing the list of people who have all 5 things taken care of. If you are not on this list, you may potentially be suspended from the activity. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE TURNED IN. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING.

The people listed below are in the clear. Great job! (Note: There are only 37, which means there are still 26 people on the List of Shame...)

Armstrong, Shannon
Barrett, Abbie
Branch, Ashley
Brundrett, Chelsea
Drogemuller, Caitlin
Ebeling, Brittany
Gore, Madeline
Goude, Anna
Gundel, Tye
Halliday, Logan
Healy, Emily
Hulasare, Kanchan
John, Leema
Johnson, Dani
Johnston, Megan
Keller, Joan
Koch, Lauren
Kunkel, Adam
Larson, Ashley
Larson, Jeff
Longley, Maddy
Longley, Ryan
Malay, Ashley
McMahon, Melissa
Nelson, Ruthie
O'brien, Grace
Putz, Leah
Roles, Shelby
Rosenthal, Sarah
Schilz, Ashley
Seniwong, Puntharak (Gap)
Slinger, Dylan
Slutsky, Michael
Sweere, Lisa
Sweere, Melissa
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate

From Candy Drawer Manager, Jeff Steinkamp

Hey team, its your CDM!

I have a very serious and important matter. THE CANDY DRAWER IS EMPTY! As of January 12th 4:19 p.m. the last piece of candy was eaten. So the only way you get candy is if people bring in candy for the drawer. The 1st person to bring the candy AND talk to me (Jeff) will get a prize. There are about 40 people who eat the candy, but only 3 people have brought it in. Just think if everyone brings in one bag of candy, we'll be set for the rest of the year!




Love your CDM,
Jeff

Friday Workshop

Can't wait to see you all at 3 on Friday for the workshop! Some answers to questions people have had:

1. YES! Bring your speech materials. We will be having a practice session, so make sure you are prepared.
2. NO! You don't need any money. The team is paying for dinner.
3. YES! If you have to get up early on Saturday for something important, you may leave early (but you will be missing out on the fun). We may wrap up before 10, too, if the group agrees.
4. IF (and I mean a very strong IF) we have a snow day Friday, the workshop will be rescheduled. Do NOT show up here at 3 if we have a snow day. If we only have a late start, it will go on as normal.

Our schedule will look like this (tentatively):
3:00-3:15 Check-in
3:15-3:30 Schedule review/Questions
3:30-4:15 Category practice
15-minute break
4:30-6:00 Mock tournament (VERY mock)
6:00-7:00 Dinner (pizza and soda)
7:00-7:30 Ice breakers
7:30-end Games

Fun times! See you then!

Jan. 24th

If you want to attend the MSU Winter Warm-up Workshop on Jan. 24th, please see me for registration materials. The deadline to register is Monday, Jan. 12. The following people said they were going on their contracts, so I should see all of these people for sure. Even if you didn't indicate it on your contract, you can still go. Just come see me. This is a GREAT opportunity to work with college-level speakers on improving your piece for the competition season.

Drogemuller, Caitlin
Gore, Madeline
Gundel, Tye
Halliday, Logan
McMahon, Melissa
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Rosenthal, Sarah (already registered)
Schwartz, Mikaela
Slutsky, Michael

UPDATED List of Shame

Come on, team! We need to have all your info! The first tournament is in 3 1/2 weeks! If your name IS on the lists below, you need to get that taken care of ASAP. If your name is NOT on the lists, good job! You have everything in. Please check each list carefully. And remember, even if your parents don't want to volunteer, you still need to turn the sheet in with their contact information.

See you all at the workshop this Friday at 3!

ELIGIBILITY FORM (turn in to Mrs. Rogness in Activities Office)
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Gore, Madeline
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Myers, Beth
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Rutan, Hayden
Schwartz, Mikaela
Seniwong, Puntharak (Gap)
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Slutsky, Michael
Sweere, Melissa
Vold, Kate

FEE ($110-turn in to Mrs. Rogness in Activities Office)
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Gore, Madeline
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Myers, Beth
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Rutan, Hayden
Schwartz, Mikaela
Seniwong, Puntharak (Gap)
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Sweere, Melissa
Vold, Kate

TOURNAMENT CONTRACT (turn in to Mrs. Heinis in A109)
Brundrett, Chelsea
Frandrup, Kayla
Grundstrom, Alex
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
John, Leema
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Myers, Beth
Nelson, Ruthie
O'brien, Grace
Petersen, Kaya
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Siekinnen, Jade
Sweere, Melissa
Vold, Kate

PARENT VOLUNTEER FORM (turn in to Mrs. Heinis even if your parents are not volunteering)
Brundrett, Chelsea
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Ebeling, Brittany
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Grundstrom, Alex
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
John, Leema
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Myers, Beth
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Zeru, Meron

STUDENT INFO SHEET (turn in to Mrs. Heinis)
Brundrett, Chelsea
Frandrup, Kayla
Grundstrom, Alex
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Nelson, Ruthie
O'brien, Grace
Petersen, Kaya
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Siekinnen, Jade
Steinkamp, Jeff
Sweere, Melissa
Vold, Kate

There are 14 people who are on all 5 lists. Perhaps this means they have decided not to join? Please let me know if you know of someone who has changed their mind about speech. Thanks!

Updates

Happy 2009! Now that break is over, we're really getting into it. You need to show your commitment by being responsible and prepared. Some reminders:

1. VERY few people have all obligations met. I have not updated the list of shame, but it has only changed a little. You should know what you've turned in. If you haven't turned in any of the five things (eligibility form, fee of $110, parent volunteer sheet, info sheet, contract) you need to do so ASAP. If I don't have any of the five from you by Friday, I will assume you have quit the team.

2. The all-team workshop is this Friday (Jan. 9th) from 3-10 PM. We will practice, dine, and play many fun games to help us build our team unity. If you haven't turned in your contract yet (30 of you), I have no idea if you are planning on coming. Remember, unless you have a very good reason, you must attend one of the two workshops to letter. This Friday's is free and nearby. The other option (Jan. 24) is $20 and in Mankato. Most everyone who has turned their contracts in plan to be here this Friday. Be here at 3:00!!! We will go over the evening's schedule at that time.

3. As people do turn in their contracts, I notice some of you are not committing to enough tournaments to letter. There are 8 invitationals (1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21) and you must attend 6 to letter. Workshops, NFLs (3/13), and Sections do not count toward lettering. Speech is a lot of work to only plan on attending 3 or 4 tournaments. Let me know if you want to amend your contract.

4. PLEASE use your lettering sheets (found at the end of your handbook). You should be having your coach initial it each time you practice. If you already lost it, you can get another online. See the blog post from Dec. 5th.

5. 26 days until the first tournament! Work hard every day!

List of Shame

As of 8:30 AM on Thursday, December 18, 2008, only 11 out of 68 people have all 5 requirements taken care of. Tsk, tsk. To the 11 of you NOT on the lists below, you are my shining stars. I dedicate my vacation to Jamaica to you.

List of Shame:

If you are on the list, it means you do NOT have the requirement taken care of. Being on the list is bad.

Fee (to the activity office; $110)
Ali, Shelly
Barrett, Abbie
Branch, Ashley
Brundrett, Chelsea
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Drogemuller, Caitlin
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Gore, Madeline
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
John, Leema
Johnson, Dani
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Koch, Lauren
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Martinez, Marisa
McMahon, Melissa
Myers, Beth
Ndubizu, Uche
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Rutan, Hayden
Schwartz, Mikaela
Seniwong, Puntharak (Gap)
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Sweere, Lisa
Sweere, Melissa
Tracy, Sam
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate
Zeru, Meron

Eligibility Form (to the activity office)
Ali, Shelly
Barrett, Abbie
Branch, Ashley
Brundrett, Chelsea
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Drogemuller, Caitlin
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Gore, Madeline
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
John, Leema
Johnson, Dani
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Koch, Lauren
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Martinez, Marisa
McMahon, Melissa
Myers, Beth
Ndubizu, Uche
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Radford, Kallie
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Rutan, Hayden
Schwartz, Mikaela
Seniwong, Puntharak (Gap)
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Slutsky, Michael
Sweere, Lisa
Sweere, Melissa
Tracy, Sam
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate
Zeru, Meron

Contract (to Mrs. Heinis)
Ali, Shelly
Brundrett, Chelsea
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Goude, Anna
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
John, Leema
Johnson, Dani
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Koch, Lauren
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Martinez, Marisa
McMahon, Melissa
Myers, Beth
Ndubizu, Uche
Nelson, Ruthie
O'brien, Grace
Petersen, Kaya
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Sweere, Melissa
Tracy, Sam
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate
Zeru, Meron

Info Sheet (to Mrs. Heinis)
Ali, Shelly
Brundrett, Chelsea
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Goude, Anna
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
Johnson, Dani
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Koch, Lauren
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Martinez, Marisa
McMahon, Melissa
Ndubizu, Uche
Nelson, Ruthie
O'brien, Grace
Petersen, Kaya
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Schilz, Ashley
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Steinkamp, Jeff
Sweere, Melissa
Tracy, Sam
Vivant, Taylor
Vold, Kate
Zeru, Meron

Parent Volunteer Form (to Mrs. Heinis; even if your parents can’t volunteer, still turn in the sheet with their contact info)
Ali, Shelly
Brundrett, Chelsea
Cole, Kelly
Cole, Mike
Ebeling, Brittany
Egge, Brianna
Frandrup, Kayla
Garnighian, Raffi
Goude, Anna
Grundstrom, Alex
Gundel, Tye
Healy, Emily
Heintze, Hannah
Heintze, Michelle
Henderson, Shelby
Henderson, Sherilyn
Hulasare, Kanchan
John, Leema
Johnston, Megan
Johnston, Vanessa
Keil, Christian
Koch, Lauren
Kraudy, Keely
Larson, Ashley
Lavallee, Megan
Myers, Beth
Ndubizu, Uche
Nelson, Ruthie
Petersen, Kaya
Rajavuori, Starla
Roesner, Rachel
Roles, Madison
Roles, Shelby
Schilz, Ashley
Shim, Anselmo
Shim, Joe
Siekinnen, Jade
Tracy, Sam
Vivant, Taylor
Zeru, Meron

GET THESE IN ASAP OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PRACTICE!!!!!

Despite the negativity, happy, happy, happy holidays to all of you! See you next year!!!!

January Extemp Practice

Here is our schedule for January of 2009 -- All practices will be in
the IMC at 5:30-7:00.

Mon Jan 5
Thurs Jan 8

Mon Jan 12
Thur Jan 15

Mon Jan 19
Thur Jan 22

Mon Jan 26
Thur Jan 29
Friday, Jan 30- full tournament run-through for EP
Saturday, Jan. 31- Eden Prairie Invitational

Reminder

You must turn all forms in before break! (Eligibility and fee to office; info, contract, and volunteer to me [two yellows and a blue])

There are A LOT of people with missing forms. Get this taken care of, so I can focus on more exciting and fun things than hounding you for forms!

If you ever have questions/concerns about anything speech related, make sure you come talk to me at school. I'm happy to help.

Here we go!

And we're off to a great start! Thank you SO much to all who attended the meeting last night (or to those who came in yesterday to say they couldn't make it, but picked up all the materials). A few things:

1. Go here (linked from my teacher web page) to view an online version of the handbook (if you were to lose your paper copy or something :-)).

2. Go here (MN State High School League speech page) to read ALL THE RULES OF SPEECH AND YOUR CATEGORY SPECIFICALLY. After last year's unfortunate disqualification, there will be no more rule infractions on my watch. You are responsible for reading and know what is and is not allowed. See me or your coach with questions.

3. I have the date of the state tournament wrong in the handbook. It is April 17-18 NOT 24-45. I believe we're on Friday this year, but we'll know for sure closer to that time. State is NOT in the cities this year, so if we qualify, we will need to make a trip out of it. (It is at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.)

4. Remember to turn in your form and fee to Mrs. Rogness in the activities office by BREAK!

5. Turn in your info sheet, contract, and parent volunteer form to ME in A109 ASAP!

6. Leave a comment on this page as proof you have read this. (Click on comments.)

Have a super wonderful weekend. Next week we begin! Looking forward to it :-).

Recruitment Contest

Now that auditions are over (and we have 48 new speechers!!!), I can be proud of all of you for doing your part to recruit. The following people were given credit for recruiting on the forms: Abbie, Adam, Ashley, Christian, Dylan, Jeff, Joe, Kelly, Lisa, Logan, Meron, Michelle, Ryan, and Sarah. Good job, guys! The winner, however, is the person who was listed most often on forms. We had a tie for first....thanks SO much to Lisa Sweere and Dylan Slinger! They will each receive a special gift from me at the all-team meeting on December 4th. 5:00 PM. Lecture Hall. BE THERE!!!!

MEETING

First all-team meeting: Thursday, Dec. 4th in the lecture hall. BRING YOUR PARENTS. 5 PM.

See me if you can't make it (but you better have a good reason).

Meeting!

The interest meeting is Thursday, Nov. 13th at 3:00. I'd like as many of you to come as possible, in addition to new recruits. Be prepared to tell all the GREAT things about speech (not the getting up at 5 AM on a Saturday part :-)).

Prize for the first one to tell me about the content of this post! (you can not win twice, by the way :-)).

Auditions

One month (give or take a few days) until speech auditions! Recruit your friends today! A prize for the person who recruits the most!

Also, a prize to the first person to come in and tell me they read this post :-).

Happy MEA break, folks!

Still checking?

I have another small prize for the first person to come in and tell me about this post. Only THREE came in for the last one...yikes! Two months until speech starts, get in the habit!

Something to plan on: MSU is hosting a Winter Warm-up Workshop the week before our first tournament (Sat. Jan. 24th). They will workshop all events all day (9-5). This wouldn't be a speech team requirement (no coaches/judges, no bus), but I will give you lettering points if you attend. I think it will be GREAT to get the season going. The cost is $20 per student which includes lunch. Mankato is only 80 miles and carpooling will be great. I can fit three in my car...

More to come!!!

Welcome back to school!

Enjoy your last weekend of summer. We don't have anything going on for awhile (we're skipping the Fall Festival again this year), but I miss you, so stop in to see me! We have a great new coach, and I'm really excited about him. His name is Mr. Lawrence and he's teaching Tech Writing, Creative Writing, and Eng 10, so you might have him.

Mostly, I'm checking in to see who checks the blog in the off-season. I have a prize for the FIRST person to come see me next week and mentions this post. After the prize-winner, you can have candy, so still stop by :-).