There is a new speech team coach this year: Language Arts Teacher Natalie Nelson. Mrs. Nelson has been involved in multiple speech teams since she was in speech herself as a 9th grader, so she’s decided to take over the New Prague High School speech team after Mr. Stensrud recently stepped down to focus on his writing. Mrs. Nelson has been very involved in speech, including going to State all four years of her high school career, judging speech teams for over 12 years, and coaching at her past teaching locations as well. 

There are currently 12 students on the high school speech team, and the team meets every Tuesday after school to work on writing and preparing their speeches for competition. The competitions are mainly on Saturdays during February and March.

Something Mrs. Nelson absolutely loves about the speech team is how so many people of different backgrounds, personalities, and cliques come together to do an activity that they all enjoy. Mrs. Nelson loves watching her students grow and reach success in their competitions as well as gain relationships with each other. Learning how to adequately talk to others and in front of others is something that everybody should have the skill to do, and joining the speech team can help with that.