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MCC's Speech Forensics Team Hosts Tournament, Takes Home Wins

McHenry County College’s award-winning speech forensics team opened the Illinois community college competition season by hosting the Crystal Clear Forensics Reception on Saturday, October 15. Attendees included 1st place Team Sweepstakes winner, Moraine Valley Community College, as well as Prairie State College, College of DuPage, Elgin Community College, and Oakton Community College.

As the hosts, MCC’s team did not participate in Team Sweepstakes, but several students did compete individually and advanced to final rounds of competition. Isabella Aguilar (McHenry) placed 1st in Dramatic Interpretation; Katherine Godfrey-Mikkelson (Crystal Lake) placed 1st in Prose Interpretation; Brennen Briske (McHenry) placed 3rd in Informative Speaking; and Rodney Katushabe (Woodstock) placed 6th in Interviewing. Sam Steffan (Harvard) also competed.

“This was a strong start and we’re excited for the season,” said Bonnie Gabel, a Speech instructor at MCC who leads the Forensics program. “The students worked hard. Assistant coach Sarah Metivier-Schadt and alumni volunteer coach Brianna McDevitt also played a big part in our early success.”

MCC’s Forensics team competes in a variety of oral interpretation and public speaking events throughout the year. The group focuses on the performance of literature, platform speaking, and debate to enhance the development of communication skills.

The next tournament will be hosted by Moraine Valley Community College on October 29. Students interested in joining the speech forensics program should contact Bonnie Gabel at bgabel@mchenry.edu or stop by the team office, A205.