Award-winning movie by Decorah HS 9th grade speech students is just the second ever by a 9th grade group

(Front row): Dawson Holkesvik and Jonah Johnson. (Middle row): Jenna Galligan, Alex Nesset, Brynne Valkosky, Anna Hanson, Rachelle Sullivan and student director Gara Lonning (Back row): Student director James Lee, Avery Dugger, Jarod Phillips, Nick Bockman (Missing): Student director Naomi Davison

The Iowa High School Speech Association has 487 schools as members.  The association estimates that around 40,000 students took part in one of their activities this year--and the association has been around in its present form since the mid 1970s.

Which makes what a group of Decorah High School 9th graders did over the weekend so special.  Nick Bockman, Avery Dugger, Jenna Galligan, Anna Hanson, Dawson Holkesvik, Jonah Johnson, Alexandra Nesset, Jarod Phillips, Rachelle Sullivan and Brynne Valkosky showed their film, "Post-It," directed by Naomi Davidson, Gara Lonning, and James Lee, and it was named the top short movie in the state.  Decorah's team was competing against films made by 19 other teams--all of them varsity teams instead of 9th grade teams.

Here is the link to the 2015 IHSSA Short Film banner winner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0S5UjCBfJA