The Prior Lake High School Speech Team made history at the 2025 National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Tournament, held recently in Des Moines, Iowa. The team earned a coveted School of Excellence Trophy, awarded to the Top 20 teams in the nation. This marks the first time the team has received national recognition at this level.
Among over 6,700 competitors from around the country, Prior Lake students stood out with several exceptional individual performances, including:
- Makenzie Bounds became only the second student in Prior Lake Speech history to reach the final round at Nationals, placing 6th in the nation in the category of Poetry Interpretation. She also advanced to the final rounds in Original Spoken Word during the Supplemental Tournament.
- Mason Baas advanced to the semi-finals in Humorous Interpretation, earning an 11th place finish nationally.
- Katie Weaver reached the quarter-finals in Dramatic Interpretation, finishing 18th in the Nation.
- Chloe Erickson and Jayden Nelson advanced to the quarter-finals in Duo Interpretation, finishing 23rd in the Nation.
Several other students also participated and advanced in the National Supplemental Tournament:
- Leo Choi reached final rounds in Poetry, while also competing in Dramatic Interpretation and Prose.
- Ingrid Olson advanced to the final round of Storytelling, and also competed in Prose.
- Lindsey Madsen represented Prior Lake in Expository Speaking and Storytelling.
