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Cedar Falls Today
By the People, for the People
Seven Students Selected for IHSSA All-State Festival
Students from six surrounding Iowa schools earn top marks at state speech contest
Mar. 18, 2026 at 3:38am
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Several students from surrounding school districts in Iowa earned top marks at the Iowa High School Speech Associations (IHSSA) Individual State Speech contest this past weekend, with seven selected to perform pieces at the upcoming All-State Festival. The students come from schools across the southwest and northwest districts, including Audubon High School, East Sac County, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Ar-We-Va, IKM-Manning, and South Central Calhoun.
Why it matters
The IHSSA All-State Festival is a prestigious event that showcases the top high school speech talent in the state, providing these students with a valuable opportunity to perform in front of a wider audience and receive recognition for their skills. Earning a spot to perform at All-State is a significant achievement that highlights the strength of the speech programs at these local schools.
The details
The students qualified for the All-State Festival by earning top marks, including straight 'I' ratings, in a variety of speech categories at the state contest. The categories include solo musical theater, poetry, after dinner speaking, original oratory, reviewing, storytelling, and improvisation. Several students were selected to perform multiple pieces at the All-State event.
- The IHSSA Individual State Speech contest took place this past weekend.
- The IHSSA All-State Festival will be held on March 30 at the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.
The players
Lena Rieman
A student at Audubon High School who earned a straight 'I' rating in Reviewing and will perform that piece at the All-State Festival.
Emma Carico
A student at East Sac County who was selected to perform her solo musical theater piece at the All-State Festival.
Paige Hout
A student at East Sac County who was selected to perform her poetry piece at the All-State Festival.
Aaron Irlbeck
A student at Coon Rapids-Bayard who was nominated to perform his after dinner speaking piece at the All-State Festival.
Elaina Geake
A student at Ar-We-Va who earned the top marks for storytelling and was selected to perform at the All-State Festival.
Nathanael Conner
A student at IKM-Manning who was selected to perform both his original oratory and reviewing pieces at the All-State Festival.
Alibek Zhunussov
A student at South Central Calhoun who received an invite to perform his improv piece at the All-State Festival.
What they’re saying
“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”
— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee
The takeaway
The selection of these talented students to perform at the prestigious IHSSA All-State Festival highlights the strength of the speech programs at these local Iowa schools and the dedication of the students who have honed their skills to reach this high level of achievement.
