Testimonials

Mary Loeffler: Parent and Judge

Being involved with the Sun Prairie Forensics team for seven years as both a parent and recently a judge, I have seen the team grow both in numbers and in successes.  Involvement in forensics encourages confidence speaking in front of an audience, poise, public speaking skills, thinking and problem solving skills, and a sense of belonging to a group.Besides learning and growing individually students are part of a team. As a team, students have the opportunity to collaborate, encourage, compromise and have fun. All of these qualities prove to be valuable as students leave high school and enter into further schooling or employment. Forensics was instrumental in helping my own children be able to present themselves in a very eloquent way to scholarship committees and college admissions panels as well as prospective employers. Forensics exemplifies 21st century skills!

Bryan Rastello: Alumni

Forensics has easily proved to be the most valuable activity that I was part of in high school.  It taught me how to speak confidently when presenting information to a group of people.  The skills that I gained in forensics have proved useful in my continued education as well as the work environment.  Effective communication is one of the most valuable skills that you can teach yourself, and the forensics team is a great place to do that!

Erin Brown: Alumni

I can’t even begin to describe the role Sun Prairie Forensics has played in my life. It’s huge. I moved to Sun Prairie my junior year of high school from a very small town and was very nervous about fitting in and meeting new people. I had been in Contest Speech at my old school and Forensics sounded similar so I decided to try it. At first, it seemed like something big to take on, but I was ready for the challenge. Through hard work and dedication I had a very successful first year; I took 5 th at State in Poetry. My second and sadly last year of Forensics I was super excited for. I wrote my Moments speech over the summer, which gave me a great head start on the season. I put my heart and soul into all coaching sessions and tournaments. I started taking lots of first places and several top threes. My biggest accomplishment, and what I am most proud of, is making it to NCFLs 2014. All of my success in Forensics was great and exhilarating, but this extracurricular is a lot more than that. It was the first place in a long time where I found I could let my guard down and truly be myself. It was where I made all of my friends. It’s the only reason I would ever wake up so early every Saturday morning for months in a row. It was what taught me to be confident, eloquent, and a leader. Now that I am an alumni, I look forward to watching others grow the way that I did. Forensics changed my life and I know it has and will change the lives of many others. Having the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful team means so much to me, and I will never forget it.

Alyssa Shaughnessy: Alumni

Joining forensics was the scariest, yet best decision that I made in high school. When I joined the team I was timid and unaware of all the positive aspects it would bring to my life. I quickly gained confidence, motivation, and made amazing friendships. Going to coaching after school so I could improve my performance skills, and attending tournaments each Saturday were the highlights of my week. Looking back, I never would've guessed that forensics would be my thing in high school. Had I not gone out of my comfort zone and joined forensics, I would've never discovered what I'm passionate about.

Ross Nett: Alumni

Forensics, without a doubt, has changed my life for the better in ways that I will never forget. Not only did it help me to grow and build my skills as a public speaker through the years, but it also taught me new lessons about friendship, confidence, and hard work. I don’t know where I would have ended up in high school if I didn’t have all the support and guidance from my team members and coaches. The forensics community often times felt more like a family than just a team. No matter who you were or how well you succeeded, there were always people there to encourage and help you along the way, all while having a good time. There was this well balanced atmosphere on the team between fun and hard work that made you feel confident enough to try your best. This confidence and the experiences I’ve had in forensic have stuck with me beyond high school, helping me with everything from job interviews to just day to day interactions. Joining the forensics team my sophomore year is probably one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made, and my only regret is not having more time on it.

Krystina Hawkinson: Alumni 

Forensics meant the world to me in high school. I loved the thrill of competition and learning how to communicate more effectively in front of a crowd. Forensics taught me not only how to present myself professionally, but also how to be a part of a team. It taught me discipline, commitment, and wonderful feeling of accomplishment that can be achieved when you work hard and ultimately achieve your goals. I would say Forensics was easily one of the most important experiences I've had in my life that has helped me become who I am today.

Manny Turrubiartes: Alumni

Looking back at my high school experience, I learned many things, one of which is accepting that it's a time of your life when you're still trying to find yourself and knowing that you're going to make mistakes. Come on, we are all human and we all make them. However, my biggest mistake in high school was waiting until my Senior year to join Forensics. High School challenges people in many different ways, such as having a good way to make friends and find something that keeps you going the entire school year, and if you're one of those people who feel lost, joining clubs is definitely the way to go. Forensics not only helped me find friends, but it also gave me skills and confidence when speaking to others. This helped a lot during job interviews!!! When I was in the middle of being interviewed, I found myself using hand gestures, that I learned in Forensics, naturally and organizing my thoughts and speech in s very effective way. Lastly, the thing that sticks with me, and I carry with me everywhere I go, are the memories that were made with great friends, during competitions, bus rides, coaching practices and team dinners. Besides, nothing feels better than beating an opponent from the rival school and having your entire team there clapping for you. As long as you put the work in, the possibilities are endless.

Le Racha Simon: Alumni

I loved forensic because it help me reach new skills with public speech. Even including just talking to people. Since High school I have had people come up to me and ask if I was performer just because of the way I talked! It has helped with my real life experiences and will continues to help me and push me further in the future.

"It's hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt 

Jane Brown: Parent

As a parent of a Sun Prairie Forensics Alum, I have seen first hand what an awesome, life changing effect forensics can have on your child. Being new to the area, forensics gave my daughter a sense of belonging, an instant base of life long friendships, a great confidence boost, and self determination. Parents can feel involved too by helping out at the Sun Prairie meet and other gatherings as well. Kids in multiple grade levels bond together and support and encourage one another...Forensics is not only a team, it's a family. 








Michele Traband: Parent and Judge

What a joy and an honor it has been to work with the SP Forensics team over the past two years as a member of the parent “booster squad”.  I remember how much self-confidence I gained when I participated on my high school “speech” team (in the dark ages) and I’ve had the pleasure of watching the students on the SP team explore and refine their talents as speechwriters, interpreters, actors, public speakers, and radio personalities!  The coaches encourage and guide them to be positive mentors and strong, compassionate leaders. The skills they hone during the forensics season will serve them well in any post-high school adventure.

I think I’m most impressed when I go to tournaments as a judge and watch the way the SP team conducts themselves in a competitive setting.  They are confident and proud, while at the same time being respectful and friendly to other schools’ teams.  And they have fun!  What a sight to watch 30+ high school students dressed in business attire load onto a bus at 6 am each Saturday morning in the dead of winter. . . all with smiles on their faces!  Congrats to the team and the coaches on their impressive record over the past several years; Sun Prairie can be proud of this group of student representatives!