Beatty earns rare dual all-state speech honor
Brandy Beatty earned dual all-state honors from Iowa High School Speech Association for her performances in ensemble acting (with partner Brayden Finley) and solo mime. She is the first Central student to do so since 1986. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
In 1986, Central student Klara Kantrell (Bell) earned dual all-state honors from the Iowa High School Speech Association, a stunning accomplishment, but one that showed what is possible through hard work and dedication to the craft of speech. Inspired Central students have followed, looking to replicate that success. Now, nearly 35 years later, current Central student Brandy Beatty has achieved it.
Beatty, described as an affable and intelligent student, joined the Central speech program as a freshman. It was a way to express herself without fear of judgement and to expand her social circle.
The honor, Beatty said, “shows my hard work and dedication in my preparation for these contests and the bright future for the Central speech team.”
The high honor came as a result of two performances. The first was in the ensemble acting category where, with her teammate Brayden Finley, who also earned an all-state honor, Beatty performed “The History of Television, Condensed.” The two narrated a comedic retelling of the evolution of TV and performed a plethora of characters.
“They put in a hard amount of work and energy into this performance and a lot of time and precision in making it believable and entertaining,” said large group speech coach Brandon Douglas.
The second came when Beatty earned an all-state honor in her solo mime performance, entitled “Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place.” According to Douglas, the comedic mime act had Beatty pretending to be an amateur robber in a museum or jewelry store (depending on interpretation) who decided to use the elevator. She found the diamond she wanted, but tripped the alarm trying to get it and wound up stuck in the elevator and eventually arrested by the police.
It was a notable achievement since Beatty only started doing solo mime last year.
“I truly believe her hard work last year helped develop her skills for this year and made everything built into achieving this great honor,” Douglas commented.
While its difficult to compare eras, Beatty’s accomplishment seems all the more astonishing given the limitations surrounding school activities that did not exist in previous years.
For Beatty, the road to all-state was littered with challenges and unfortunate cancellations.
“The most challenging part of speech this year was the uncertainty. We didn’t know where the contests would be, or if we were even guaranteed one. We also had to wear masks during practice and had to learn how to express ourselves with our eyes, since the rest of our face was covered. The contests were a lot smaller this year then past, due to COVID precautions, and all-state was cancelled already in November,” she explained.
But Beatty soldiered on, practicing, developing ideas, memorizing speeches and forgoing her usual habit of procrastination for a more proactive approach. She took the critiques and constructive criticism of the coaches and applied them to fixing the performances and modifying the speeches. She communicated openly and honestly with coaches, motivated team members and was dedicated to success for the team and program.
“Brandy deserves this honor…She gives whatever is left in her after a long day of academics, meetings, sports practices, work and anything else she is doing to achieve at the highest level…and is determined to succeed and will do everything to not only have her succeed but others as well,” Douglas said. “She also played a major role in promoting the speech team and getting many people involved to try out and make the team stronger. She is a true leader and has deserved this distinguished honor for everything she has put in.”
As a junior, Beatty still has her final season to finish, but her speech journey won’t end there. She has plans beyond, such as becoming a speech coach and continuing in theatre productions.
“Speech has been one of the most fun and rewarding things I’ve participated in during high school. There is a place for everyone on the speech team so everyone can participate,” Beatty said.
