Haines High School welcomed about 100 students, and nearly that same number of judges, to a Drama, Debate and Forensics tournament Friday and Saturday.
“These are the most sophisticated, polished pieces I’ve seen in an October,” Haines coach Gershon Cohen said after he presented awards.
The tournament drew teams from Juneau, Ketchikan, Mount Edgecumbe, Sitka and Wrangell.
“It’s one of the highlights of the year,” said superintendent Michael Byer. “It’s great to have this many kids in our school as a good cross-section of our communities.”
Some of the top acts earned the chance to perform for their peers as “command performances” on Saturday.
Haines’ second-place mime team of freshman Zeke Frank, junior Cassie Galasso, sophomore Royal Henderson, sophomore Tia Heywood, sophomore Karissa Land, freshman Isobel Smith and freshman Eli White performed their “Last Elevator Operator” in the elementary gym.
Cohen summarized the characters as an “arrogant, tough chick,” “gangsta,” “germaphobe,” trombone player, pregnant woman and baby, along with the overwhelmed operator. The diverse characters combine to deliver the baby in crowded conditions.
The Haines readers theater team placed third and entertained the gym guests with their version of “Airplane!” Participants were senior Chris Bowman, Galasso, Henderson and sophomore Brennon Whitermore.
Henderson had several roles, including portraying “everyone else who gets hurt or dies.”
“That readers theater that I’m doing is pretty awesome,” Henderson said. “I enjoy debate, I’m just not as good at it.”
Bowman was honored as the top debater in the tournament, due to cumulative point totals over six rounds. “He’s extremely quick on his feet, and a quick thinker,” said judge Rob Goldberg, who evaluated Bowman in an early round.
Goldberg went on to judge the finals, where a Sitka team edged Ketchikan. Each round includes more than 30 minutes of arguments.
“They did a very good job arguing their case without being personal,” said Judy Heinmiller, a first-time debate judge.
Cohen said debate had a record 20 teams of two, who analyzed whether the Tea Party movement is beneficial to American politics.
Goldberg, a professional artist, said he relies on his experience in public policy and on the borough planning commission to judge debates. The finals had two other judges, attorneys Eric Kocher and Deborah Vogt.
Bowman and partner White narrowly missed the finals, with a 5-1 record. They finished fourth, and another Haines team of Henderson and Whitermore was fifth.
Goldberg said he didn’t stack Bowman’s point total. “The coaches have complained, because our judges are too fair,” he said.
Cohen said his team would build on this early-season tournament. Their next event is set for Wrangell in December.
“I purposefully match my upper-level folks with our younger folks to train them,” Cohen said.
He said Haines had 14 competitors in the tournament, and several students were gone for a music competition. Overall point totals were not tallied for each team.
“We have a very young team that’s doing phenomenally well,” Cohen said.
He said “support’s overwhelming” for the Haines home Drama, Debate and Forensics event each year. Cohen credited Dan Henry for handling tabulations, Alexandra Feit for recruiting judges, and Brenda Jones and Lisa Schwartz for their work in the hospitality room.
“DDF is really a worthwhile program for kids to be involved in,” said Schwartz, whose sophomore son throughout the weekend.
The students attended a dance at the school following the tournament, and Schwartz said she appreciates that DDF allows young people to visit and learn from each other.
“It brings the community together, and I like that,” she said.
Jones said DDF develops critical thinking skills, so students move beyond emotion, to fact. “You research and you understand and you weed out the noise,” Jones said.