T-R PHOTO BY SUSANNA MEYER Marshalltown High School seniors Andrea Montes and Jeremiah Hernandez will be performing at the all-state individual speech competition at the University of Northern Iowa on Monday. Montes will be performing in the original oratory category, and Hernandez will be performing in the poetry category.

Two Marshalltown High School (MHS) students, seniors Andrea Montes and Jeremiah Hernandez, are moving on to all-state after an intense state individual speech competition in Grinnell.

The all-state competition, hosted by the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA), will be held at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) on Monday, and Montes will be performing in the original oratory category. She’s looking forward to the challenge, even if she wasn’t necessarily expecting the win.

“It felt good. I just didn’t really think I was going to win. I just never think I’m good enough for that and yeah, I was just so surprised. I was in shock,” Montes said. “Performing for a hundred people, that’s what I’m scared about, but I think I’ll be okay. I memorized my whole speech.”

The state competition was on March 12, but the results weren’t announced until the following Monday. Thus, it was a somewhat agonizing weekend for the students who were waiting.

“That was not a good weekend,” Montes said. “I was just thinking and thinking about it and crying all day thinking about if I didn’t make it, but thankfully I did.”

To prepare for her performance, Montes is practicing her speech with her coach and teacher, Jocelyn Frohwein, as well as with her friends, but she said at this point she just needs to “forget about it” to calm her nerves.

When asked if she would do a speech competition again, Montes said she definitely would.

“It’s just so interesting. I didn’t even know this was a thing until I talked to Miss Frohwein, and I really loved it. It just gets me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I found a love for speech.”

Hernandez is taking on the poetry category at all-state, and he is equal parts excited and nervous for his performance.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be very frank. Everybody had confidence in me but I was just like ‘I’m not going to get it,’ and surprisingly now I’m here,” he said. “I’m absolutely terrified, but you know this is my second time doing all-state so I’m super excited for this and grateful for this opportunity again.”

Hernandez said going up against the competitors at the state competition in Grinnell was a little less intimidating than districts, mainly because he had already made it to state even if he didn’t move on from there.

“I honestly felt great at state compared to districts which were much more terrifying in my opinion,” Hernandez said.

Similarly to Montes, Hernandez is practicing his performance and trying to improve on his acting skills leading up to Monday’s all-state competition.

While Montes and Hernandez are the only two MHS students that will be performing at all-state, several students received all-state honors — Jesse DeMeyer in acting, Amiaha Weatherly in poetry, and Hernandez in the second category he performed in, public address.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or smeyer@timesrepublican.com.