By Lana Swanson
The Mustangs woke up at 4:30 to make the long two-and-a-half-hour trip to North Platte. This meet was a class A meet with a lot of other schools as a competition. When asked how the size of this meet affected her, junior Savanna Junek said, “At first it was nerve-wracking because we haven’t competed in that big of competition and with that many competitors. However, it was very rewarding to know that we can be successful against big schools.” As a team, Silver Lake placed 3rd in novice and brought home many medals. Along with the team placing, everyone placed in their events in the novice category. For group events, the OID (Oral Interpretation of Drama) group including juniors Taylor Hanson and Junek and sophomores Milla Butler and Sophie Butler placed first with their speech “Emergency Protocol.” Also in the OID category, juniors Sydney Bartels and Maddie Karr and seniors Josi Sharp and Kassi Jones placed second with their speech “How to Survive.” Duet pair Bartels and junior Morgan Dinkler placed first with their speech “Girl Behind in the Wheel,” and sophomores Katelyn Strampher and Emma Strampher placed fifth with “Hidden Treasures.” For individual events, in Humorous Prose, Emma Strampher placed sixth place with “Vacate,” and Junek placed seventh with her speech “It’s Just an Expression.” In Serious Prose, Katelyn Strampher placed fourth with her speech “Kissing Doorknobs.” In the Informative category, junior Ashley Bonifas placed third with her speech “The Benefits of Baking,” and senior Marissa Erickson placed eighth with “The History of Paranormal Investigations.”