All 24 members of the Washington High School speech team are advancing to the state contest. Speech coach Nick Kleese says they were successful with eight of their nine entries at the district contest in Wapello receiving Division I ratings. He they’ll presenting two musical theater acts, one ensemble piece, three improvisation groups, a one act play, and a short film. The students are continuing to practice and he says between now and the state contest they’re working on polishing certain parts, experimenting with energy and emotion, bringing the intensity up, and avoiding getting nervous. The team will go to the state contest in Cedar Rapids on February 4th.