This past speech season for the Joliet West speech team has been a smashing success with multiple tournament wins. The teams success was also recognized by the Will County Board ho honored the coaches and member for their hard work. Nobody knows this better than Tony Nardi and Morgan Beene who managed to go to state this past year.

Throughout the school year, the two have had many successes, being tournament champions in their own respective events, but also their success as a team.

At state, they competed for a total of 4 times in the course of 2 days. Nardi, being in Dramatic Interpretation, must act as if he is another character giving a monologue to the audience, which most of the time is a dramatic monologue.

Whereas with Beene she must perform a speech in a fictional environment about a topic that they believe deserves to be talked about, which tends to be a more humorous speech. Throughout their days in Peoria, Illinois, Nardi, Beene, and Mrs. Blake had loads of fun with each other. At state, competitors compete in a series of rounds to where they perform before a judge.

Then, if they win in their individual event they perform their piece and it is broadcasted on live television. Sadly, neither of them made it to finals during state. Nardi says “We were all sad we didn’t break, but we ate Dippin Dots at the Peoria Civic Center, and that moment was just such a joy to me”. This is due to Nardi’s love for the simple things in life, as well as just enjoying the life they still have.

Throughout Nardi’s and Beene’s senior speech season, they’ve had one constant feeling; the feeling that they believe in themselves. Afterall their theme song was, “Don’t Stop Believing.”