Re-Register/Confirm

Schools who do not re-register on time will be dropped (changes can still be made after April 12; but we need schools to confirm adjudicators and a few other steps).

Please download the WISDAA High School Speech Handbook and see p. 10-11.

Play this video for instructions on State Festival re-registration/confirmation.

Fees: In-Person or Online

Merchandise

Virtual/Async

Individual entries or team Each school can designate if most of its team will participate in-person, or if it prefers virtual. Coaches also can designate individual entries to participate virtually, as long as they also earmark adjudicators to accompany contestants at each contest in which they have participants. Virtual State will only be asynchronous adjudication of prerecorded videos. There will be no live virtual option, unless the in-person festival cannot be held. A school may initially select in-person and later pivot to virtual, if necessary.

Virtual Timelines

State Radio, Impromptu, Extemp
Materials posted Mon. 4/17/23
State Video Due
Tue., April 25, 2023
State Adjudication
4/27-5/1/2023
State Evaluations Released
Tue., May 2, 2023

In-Person

Held at DeForest High School

815 Jefferson St, DeForest 53532

April 21-22, 2023

Youth Protection Requirements

For each time slot in which a school has entries, that school must have present an employee/vetted volunteer and it must provide adjudicators (who may be the same person) for the ratio required (1 for 1-8 entries; 2 for 9-19 entries; and an additional adjudicator for every 10 additional entries beyond 19). Guests are welcome this year; however, coaches must inform students it is their responsibility to inform family/friends when and where they are performing. To protect students’ privacy, festival staff will not share such information with individuals other than head coaches of record. Additionally, guests may not record (photo, film, audio) in any contest rooms.

The rules below will pertain to when the festival returns to UW-Madison; therefore, they are not required for the 2023 festival.

Per rules implemented by the UW System and UW-Madison, the State Speech Festival requires one responsible adult per every 10 minor students (under age 18), with a minimum of two (2) responsible adults. The school must vet and background check each responsible adult, including all coaches and adjudicators – who must have had mandatory reporting training — and they must be present on campus any time a school has students on campus.

Schools may book their own rooms; we do not provide a block.

Lodging Options

Non-bus parking lot occupancy information

Availability

Bus/Traffic Patterns

Buses drop off/pick up students on Observatory Drive – near the Carillon Tower in front of the Social Sciences building. Buses should only be stopped there, and never parked. Bus parking is available in Lot 60. During the festival, Observatory Drive is one-way (going west) from Park Street to Charter Street. When buses leave Lot 60 to pick up students, the return route should be: Lot 60 to Walnut St – Left on University Ave (which becomes Johnson St) – Left on Park St.

State Speech Text Notifications

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Schedule Individual contestant itineraries will be emailed to coaches on Wed., April 19 (just before the festival, due to anticipated changes). Depending on which time slot your school has been assigned, you will follow the schedule in the appropriate column below.

	Fri. 5:30pm	Fri. 7:30pm	Sat. 9:30am	Sat. 11:30am
Arrive; pick up T-shirts, etc.; students may gather in *designated areas only*.	4:15pm	6:15pm	8:15am	10:15am
Adjudicator meeting and packet pick-up Location: TBA	4:30pm	6:30pm	8:30am	10:30am
Extemp/Radio contestants report to Location: TBA	4:45pm	6:45pm	8:45am	10:45am
All other contestants may report to buildings/contest rooms	5:00pm	7:00pm	9:00am	11:00am
Round begins	5:30pm	7:30pm	9:30am	11:30am
Claim medals	After round	After round	After round	After round

Programming/Resources

Pre-ordered merchandise may be picked up at the WHSFA Store, released with payment or proof of check request/purchase order.

Visit with college forensic programs and summer camps.

Take a team photo in front of our backdrop!

Conduct & Safety

While walking in corridors, remember other rounds may be in session, so please respect those students presenting, and walk and talk quietly. Excitement, anticipation, nervousness and anxiety all contribute to students and adults not exercising usual common sense and good judgment regarding personal security and safety. Please share these with everyone who will be in attendance.

Festival Headquarters: (920) 710-1895 | Emergencies: 911 | Univ. Police Non-Emergency: (608) 262-2957
Emergency phones with direct line to police are located in several outside locations, marked with a blue light.

Safety Reminders

Walk in groups of 2 or more.
Cross streets carefully and at designated crosswalks.
Stay in well-lit, well-populated walking areas.
Enter/exit buildings at main, well-lit doorways.
Be aware of surroundings – inside or outside.
Always let teammates know where you are going and when you expect to return. Agree upon a designated meeting time/place with your coach.

Rules Concerns

Adjudicators, coaches, or contestants with questions or concerns about adherence to rules may bring those concerns to the festival headquarters in the Bldg/Room TBD. Concerns pertaining to adjudicators must be filed online, following the festival (see top of this page).

Claiming Awards (Medals)

After the round, the coach or one adult brings evaluation sheets for verification (in case they haven’t been tabulated yet) and to collect awards in the Bldg/Room TBD. Advancing to the State Festival is an achievement and earning awards beyond that represents rigorous standards. Coaches of four-year gold medalists should immediately claim the special medallion! Schools not retrieving awards at the festival for their team will be assessed a $25 handling fee, unless they have entries already participating in the virtual division.

Points	Award	Medal
5-19	Achievement	Small Bronze
20-22	Finalist	Bronze
23-24	All State	Silver
25	Critic's Choice	Gold

Equity & Inclusion Resources

Harassment & Discrimination
Equity & Reporting
All-Gender Restrooms

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech & Dramatic Arts Association is committed to fostering safe and supportive learning environments for all student participants and adults at our interscholastic events. This requires mutual respect on the part of all people present. Accordingly, WISDAA prohibits all forms of harassment and discrimination by and to any person, whether written or oral, based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by any applicable federal, state, or local law. Individuals found to have violated this policy will be subject to a full range of sanctions, up to and including removal from the festival premises.

If you have a concern about how people are treating you that you want to make known to the WISDAA and, if appropriate, legal authorities, or you have witnessed behavior inconsistent with the Harassment and Discrimination Policy, please report to the festival headquarters, and request to meet with an equity officer, who will confidentially discuss the matter with you, who shall in turn, investigate the complaint.

By building:
Birge:
Chamberlin:
Education:
Humanities:
Ingraham:
Social Science:
Sterling:
Van Hise:
Van Vleck:
White:
*Please see directional signage to locations.

Awards Earned

PR-StateSpeechSchoolAwards2022

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PR-StateSpeechStudentAwards2022