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Sheyenne High School Speech
Team Announcements
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The Sheyenne Speech Team, comprised of Liberty and Sheyenne students in grades 7-12, invite any interested students to join us for the 2024 season.
- Any student interested in joining the team or learning more about the activity can stop by Sheyenne Room 2304 during practices.
- In December, practices are held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:00-6:00, so a coach would be available to connect with interested students.
- We accept kids on a rolling basis and kids are able to do other activities and still be in Speech.
Practices occur Monday-Friday 4:00 to 6:00pm at Sheyenne in Room 2304 (Krista Hulderman's classroom). The team welcomes new members throughout January and February, so stop by to learn more about the team.
The competition season begins in January and goes until mid-April.
Learn more by viewing our team handbook.
- Any student interested in joining the team or learning more about the activity can stop by Sheyenne Room 2304 during practices.
What is Speech?
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Speech is a co-curricular activity sanctioned by the NDHSAA. Varsity competition is open to all 7th through 12th graders. There are 14 different events categorized into three main types: interp (acting) events, limited prep events, and public address events. Speech activities promote essential 21st century skills including communication, research, listening, and writing. Competition runs January through mid-April, and Sheyenne usually attends 10-12 tournaments each year.
The Sheyenne Speech team is a charter member of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). The NSDA is the world’s largest honor society devoted to speech and debate activities, and bestows numerous awards and recognition to students, coaches, and schools. In 2023, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017, and 2016, Sheyenne earned membership into the prestigious 100 Club by earning over 100 merit degrees. In 2022 and 2019, Sheyenne earned membership into the prestigious 200 Club by earning over 200 merit degrees.
Meet the Coaching Staff
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Degrees and Certifications:
M.F.A. Communication Studies/Forensics - Minnesota State, Mankato B.A. Theatre Arts and Drama - Washington State University B.S. English Education - North Dakota State University NSDA Two-Diamond Coach NSDA Speech and Debate Educator Endorsement NSDA Distinguished Service Award Bronze Plaque
Kelsey Johnson
Kelsey Johnson began coaching the Sheyenne Speech team in 2015. She’s also the head Sheyenne Student Congress Coach, a position she’s held since 2017. Johnson is the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) advisor for both Sheyenne and Liberty. Johnson firmly believes all students deserve access to quality speech and debate programs.
Under Johnson’s coaching, the Speech team consistently brings home state honors: 4th Place in both 2019 and 2018, 3rd Place in 2017, and 5th Place in 2023 and 2016. Individually, 9 team members have been named State Class A Champions, 56 team members have placed at the state tournament, and 56 team members earned Fine Arts All State Honors. To date, 20 team members have qualified and competed in speech events for the prestigious NSDA National Tournament held annually in June. Additionally, 3 middle school team members have competed in speech and debate events at the prestigious NSDA Middle School National Tournament held in conjunction with the high school tournament.
Before coaching at Sheyenne, Johnson served as Head Speech Coach and Director of Theatre at LaMoure High School (2011-2015) and Oak Grove Lutheran School (2009-2011). She’s been named a Regional Coach of the Year four times by her colleagues through the Communication, Speech, Theatre Association of ND (CSTAND). In 2022, CSTAND honored Johnson with the Teacher of the Year award. Johnson’s forensics and theatre journey began in 1999 at Hettinger High School, and she holds several awards and accolades from her high school speech and theatre careers.
Johnson teaches English II and Dual Credit Speech at West Fargo High School. Currently, she serves as the EDC Speech Representative on the NDHSAA advisory board and the ND Roughrider District Committee (NSDA). She completed her MFA in Forensics in 2020; her thesis is entitled “Assessing Competitive Oral Interpretation Students: What We Expect Students to Know.”
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Degrees and Certifications:
MS Curriculum and Instruction, NDSU BS English Education, VCSU NSDA Speech and Debate Educator Endorsement North Dakota Teacher Mentor Trauma Sensitive Schools Trainer
Krista Hulderman
Krista Hulderman began teaching at Sheyenne High in 2010, when it was still a ninth-grade center, as the school’s only English Language Learner teacher. After Sheyenne transitioned into a full high school, she made the switch to mainstream English. She taught Senior Comp and Lit as well as STEM Freshmen English before settling into her current role with freshmen English and reading intervention courses.
Hulderman took on the role of Assistant Speech Coach in 2015 when Head Coach Kelsey Johnson took over the program. The team was just getting on its feet with only a few students involved. During the 2015 season the team grew tremendously, and that trend has continued from year to year. The tight-knit family atmosphere keeps students coming back, often with a new friend, each season. After two successful years in Speech, the opportunity arose for Johnson and Hulderman to take over the already flourishing Student Congress team as well. Hulderman has been Assistant Student Congress Coach since 2017.
Hulderman is one of only a handful of coaches in the state to hold a Speech and Debate Educator Endorsement. She has held positions on the Sheyenne High School Building Leadership Team, the Sheyenne MTSS Leadership Team, and the AVID Site Team. She is also an active member of the West Fargo Education Association, serving as High School Rep for the Executive Board and a long-time member of the collaborative bargaining team.
Hulderman has been involved in the arts since attending high school at Central Cass in Casselton, ND. There she was involved in Speech and Theatre as well as a member of both the band and choir. She continued her involvement through college by judging whenever the speech tournaments took place at VCSU. She firmly believes that there is something for everyone in forensics and does her best to make all students feel like they belong to something great.
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Nathan Kurtti
Mr. Kurtti is the head debate coach and assistant speech coach at West Fargo Sheyenne High School. Mr. Kurtti graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in English Education and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Jamestown. Mr. Kurtti currently teaches English II and AP Literature and Composition at West Fargo Sheyenne High School. In 2019, Mr. Kurtti was named the 2019-20 CSTAND ND Debate Coach of the Year.
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Rebecca Duncan
Rebecca is a former Sheyenne Mustang and recent graduate of Concordia. She competed in speech in both high school and college for a total of 8 years. While at Sheyenne, Rebecca was a state champion in Poetry two times and was a consistent placer at tournaments, including EDC, State, and NSDA Qualifier tournaments. In 2019, Rebecca was a National Speech and Debate Association national tournament qualifier in Program Oral Interp.
Competition Results & Historical Records
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Speech, Debate, and Congress News
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2021 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 5/19/2021 -
2020 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 1/5/2021 -
2019 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 1/4/2021 -
2018 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 1/3/2021 -
2017 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 1/2/2021 -
2016 Forensics Press Releases
Posted by Kelsey Johnson on 1/1/2021