Instead of spending a Saturday at a neighboring school performing in front of various students, families and community members, the Washington High School speech students will be holding their own district large group contest at the high school tonight.

With the ongoing pandemic the Iowa High School Speech Association has allowed schools to host an in-person or virtual contest, and Washington Large Group Speech Coach Audrey Skoog says they have hired a judge to evaluate their entries at 5:30 p.m. tonight. Only parents of the participants are allowed to watch the performances, and they have one musical theatre group performing “Title of Show”, two improv groups, and one short film entry. As per the IHSSA’s requirements, Skoog says if any of the entries advance to state they will have to hire three judges to host their own contest. There will be no All-State Festival this year, though All-State nominations will still be announced, medals will be awarded, and a program will be produced.