Vanessa Arvizu-Ersland in the lead role of Princess Winnifred last November during Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s fall production of “Once Upon a Mattress.” Arvizu-Ersland is the only G-R student nominated for the All State Speech Festival this year which is taking place at the University of Northern Iowa campus on March 25. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – Gladbrook-Reinbeck junior Vanessa Arvizu-Ersland has been nominated this year for the Iowa High School Speech Association’s All State Festival for her performance poetry piece.

This is Arvizu-Ersland’s first All State performance nomination.

At Districts, Arvizu-Ersland earned a ‘1’ rating which advanced her to the State contest where she again received a ‘1’ rating from all three judges. She also received three ‘1’ ratings for her solo musical theater performance while at State but it was her poetry that impressed the judges the most.

“At least one judge deemed her poetry performance ‘Outstanding’ and nominated her to perform [at All State],” G-R Speech coach Greg Tessendorf told the Sun Courier.

Arvizu-Ersland chose the poem “You Should Have Asked My Husband” by Pam Ayres.

“We were looking for a poem that was a little more lighthearted but still purposeful,” Tessendorf explained of the selection, “and we found one with a humorous take on ‘experts’ or ‘know-it-alls.'”

On Monday, March 25, Arvizu-Ersland will perform the poem in Cedar Falls at the University of Northern Iowa campus as part of the All State Festival during Session 3 which runs from 1:30-2:45 p.m. in the Bertha Martin Theatre which is part of the Strayer Wood Theatre Building. Scott Slechta – Iowa Teacher of the Year in 2016 – will act as the session’s guest critic.

While the exceptionally talented Arvizu-Ersland – she played the lead last November in G-R’s fall musical “Once Upon a Mattress – does not plan to pursue a performing career after high school, she said she does hope to stay involved in the arts while pursuing a career in medicine.

“I would still love to be involved in possibly a choir or even a musical at college simply because those have always been something I love,” Arvizu-Ersland told the newspaper. “I’ve always performed to inspire the younger kids watching, so next year when I end my musical journey I just hope that I have done that.”

In addition to Arvizu-Ersland, two other G-R students also competed at the State speech contest this year including Nattalee Brinkman who earned all ‘1’ ratings with her after dinner speech which she both wrote and performed and Jayla Hemann who also earned three ‘1’ ratings for her acting piece.