by Grace Cardoni

From mastering foreign language to perfecting arguments, GS students went above and beyond at the APPLES competition as well as the Speech and Debate State event. 

The APPLES competition held on March 21 brought together students in grades eight through 12 from across the area to compete in a variety of academic and creative language events of the students’ choice.

 “Students compete in four main categories,” Spanish teacher Ms. Miranda Filak said. “It is reading, writing, speaking, listening along with creative categories like art, music and dancing.”

Participation at GS continues to grow, with around 30 to 40 students attending this year between French and Spanish classes anywhere from level one to six. 

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 APPLES students posing at IUP before their competition.

Photo Courtesy: Ms. Miranda Filak

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“We filled up pretty much a school bus,” French teacher Mrs. Stephanie Grace said. “Several students earned top honors, including winners who placed first overall.”

Junior Alyssa Barber, who has attended APPLES since eighth grade, shared the competition isn’t just about being the best but also the experience of being outside of a language classroom. 

“I enjoy getting to see all the different language performances at the end of APPLES as it’s not something that you get to see all the time in language classes,” Barber said. “It is super fun to be able to use your language skills to talk to someone you’ve never met before.” 

While language students were competing at APPLES, members of the Speech and Debate team were preparing for their own major competition at the state level the very same weekend.

“I’m really happy with how far the team went this year,” junior Speech and Debate member Emily Ziska said. “I’d really love to get even farther next year.”

Speech and Debate offers a wide range of events, from traditional style debates to performance-based categories, allowing students to explore what they are the most passionate about. 

“These different events focus anywhere from dramatic interpretation of poetry, or it could be actual debate,” Speech and Debate Advisor Mrs. Mary Logan said. “Students can write their own speeches or choose an event where they get 30 minutes of prep and put together a speech there.”

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Speech and Debate students posing with their State Qualifying stickers.

Photo Courtesy: Mrs. Mary Logan

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Many students don’t initially join with a strong interest in Speech and Debate, rather a variety of other motivations. 

“Students who join Speech and Debate do it for different reasons,” Mrs. Logan said. “Some of them just love to act; they want to make you feel what they feel through that poetry or speech. Some students do it because their friends did.”

Beyond competition, the program focuses on personal growth and pushing students out of their comfort zone in order to better themselves in things like public speaking. 

 “The goal of it is to force students to understand the importance of organization and how to deliver content in very different ways,” Logan said. “In our country, looking somebody in the eye and talking to them is something we value.”

Although they differ in focus, both the APPLES and Speech and Debate teams excelled in their respective areas and representing GS with pride. 

“I think what we are doing here at GS is more than just winning competitions,” Mrs. Grace said. “Students are gaining skills that extend far beyond the classroom.”