Adair-Casey/Guthrie High School was recognized as a top group performer at the Iowa High School Speech Association All-State Speech Festival. 

AC/GC’s musical theater, “Come From Away,” won the critics choice award. AC/GC Speech and Theater Teacher Kelsey Dinkla says this accomplishment means they are the best musical theater group in the state. Dinkla says that “Come From Away,” is about the events that took place on 9/11 and the topic and performance struck a chord with the critic. 

“All of the little things that we added in, (the critic) noticed, and (the critic) just said that he felt very moved by our performance.”

Dinkla tells Raccoon Valley Radio the students have been working on the performance since Thanksgiving and hearing their name called on stage from the critic made all the work worth it. 

“Then when (the critic) didn’t even get the whole title out of his mouth, I think he said ‘Come From…’ and we all knew and we were screaming, and laughing, and crying, and I had to sprint down to the stage to meet (the critic) on the stage. And he gave me our plaque.”

AC/GC also has two other groups make it to the All-State Festival with group mime as a performer and group improv, Team Carlson, as a non-performer. The festival was held at Iowa State University on February 19th.