Paton-Churdan Senior Selected for Iowa All-State Speech Festival

Phoenix Hartman to perform his award-winning prose piece at the University of Northern Iowa

Mar. 27, 2026 at 3:25pm

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Phoenix Hartman, a senior at Paton-Churdan High School, has been selected to perform at the Iowa High School Speech Association All-State Speech Festival. Hartman will present a monologue called 'Jeremy' by Don Zolidis, which he has been performing in individual speech competitions throughout his four years of high school. Hartman describes how slowing down certain moments in his performance helped boost his confidence at the state-level contest.

Why it matters

Hartman's selection to the prestigious All-State Speech Festival is a significant achievement, as only a few Paton-Churdan students have earned this honor in the past. His success highlights the strength of the school's speech program and the dedication of its students.

The details

Hartman's 'Jeremy' monologue is about a confident man who tries to impress women in order to get dates. Hartman explains that he had to adjust his pacing during the performance, slowing down certain moments to allow the audience to react, which helped calm his nerves. Performing at the All-State Festival is a milestone for Hartman, as his name will be added to the school's trophy case alongside the few other Paton-Churdan students who have achieved this honor.

  • Hartman will perform his Prose piece at the University of Northern Iowa this coming Monday (March 31, 2026).
  • Hartman has been performing in individual speech all four years of high school.

The players

Phoenix Hartman

A senior at Paton-Churdan High School who has been selected to perform at the Iowa High School Speech Association All-State Speech Festival.

Don Zolidis

The playwright who wrote the monologue 'Jeremy' that Hartman will be performing.

Paton-Churdan High School

The high school that Hartman attends, which has had only a few students selected for the prestigious All-State Speech Festival in the past.

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What they’re saying

“Going slower, I think, kind of boosted my overall confidence. And during those like slow moments when people were laughing, it calmed me down. And I think that was important because going in my heart was pounding, I was sweating. You know, it was definitely scary. But after taking those slow moments to, you know, control my breathing, let the crowd do their thing, it helped me.”

— Phoenix Hartman, Student

“I was just thinking that my name is going to be in the trophy case here at the school because there's only been two others that have gone to All-State from Paton-Churdan, that's an honor. So after I performed, I left immediately because I had other plans. And on the way, like I'm just thinking in my head, 'Oh, what did I get, what did I get?' And I found out and I was jumping as much as I could in the car. It was just so exciting.”

— Phoenix Hartman, Student

What’s next

Hartman will perform his Prose piece at the University of Northern Iowa this coming Monday (March 31, 2026).

The takeaway

Hartman's selection to the Iowa High School Speech Association All-State Speech Festival is a significant achievement that highlights the strength of the speech program at Paton-Churdan High School and the dedication of its students. His success demonstrates the value of honing one's public speaking skills and the personal growth that can come from participating in competitive speech activities.