AC/GC Students Advance to All-State Speech Festival

Three events from the high school will perform or attend the prestigious competition.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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Several students from Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center High School have been selected to participate in the Iowa High School Speech Association's Large Group All-State Festival. Two events will attend as non-participants, while one group mime team will perform their piece about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Why it matters

Advancing to the All-State Speech Festival is a major accomplishment for high school students, showcasing their talents in public speaking, acting, and creative expression. This recognition highlights the strength of the speech and drama programs at AC/GC and the dedication of the students.

The details

The three AC/GC events selected include a group mime performance, a group improv, and a musical theater piece. Junior Ilana Baumert described the process of developing the group mime about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, including creating the storyline and determining the characters. The AC/GC students will perform 'Seams, Smoke, and Silence' in the Sukup Endzone at 2:15pm on Saturday during the festival.

  • The Iowa High School Speech Association's Large Group All-State Festival is taking place on Saturday.

The players

Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center High School

A public high school serving students in Adair and Guthrie counties in Iowa.

Ilana Baumert

A junior at Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center High School who is part of the group mime team performing at the All-State Festival.

Iowa High School Speech Association

The organization that hosts the annual Large Group All-State Festival, a prestigious competition for high school speech and drama programs in Iowa.

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What they’re saying

“So first we have to come up with our idea that we want to do our Mime about and so we decided to go historical this year and we're doing it about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Then we have to figure out the storyline that we're going to do and really figure out which characters are going to be a part of it and just make sure we have a beginning, middle, and end.”

— Ilana Baumert, Junior (Raccoon Valley Radio)

The takeaway

The selection of AC/GC students to perform at the prestigious All-State Speech Festival demonstrates the strength and dedication of the school's speech and drama programs, as well as the creativity and hard work of the students themselves.