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Lakeville speech students succeed at National Individual Events Tournament of Champions

May 18, 2023

Students from the Lakeville North Speech team and Lakeville South Speech team competed in the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) May 12-14 at Chanhassen High School. The NIETOC is one of the largest, most competitive national high school speech tournaments in which students need to qualify in order to compete. 

Congratulations to Lakeville North senior Gintare Piscikaite for competing as a national finalist in Informative Speaking and placing 5th out of 143 competitors.

 Lakeville North senior Gintare Piscikaite with 5th place Informative Speaking award at NIETOC

In addition, the following students made it to the semifinals, quarterfinals and octafinals in their respective events: 

Semifinalist:

  • Anna Branchini (Grade 11, LNHS) - Program Oral Interpretation (as a semifinalist, Anna earned an automatic qualification to compete in Program Oral Interpretation at next year’s NIETOC)

Quarterfinalists: 

  • Avery Bartlett (10, LNHS) and Benjamin Montbriand (12, LNHS) - Duet Interpretation

  • Devon DeFoe (12, LNHS) - Extemporaneous Speaking

  • Ankita Gurung (11, LNHS) - Program Oral Interpretation 

  • Aaimah Khawaja (11, LNHS) - Extemporaneous Speaking

  • Alice Yi (9, LSHS) - Extemporaneous Speaking

Octafinalists:

  • Aiden Clayburn (12, LNHS) - Humorous Interpretation

  • Benjamin Montbriand (12, LNHS) - Humorous Interpretation

  • Charese Mutebi (11, LNHS) - Oratory

  • Ella Raiche (11, LNHS) - Informative Speaking

Devon DeFoe, Ella Raiche, Anna Branchini, Avery Bartlett, Aiden Clayburn, Ben Montbriand, Gintare Piscikaite Alice Yi, LSHS Speech student, at NIETOC