TVHS speech team will send the Easter Bunny your way

The Tusky Valley Speech Team is holding an “Egg My Yard” fundraiser that will bring an Easter Egg hunt to yards throughout the school district. On the day before Easter, the Easter Bunny aka speech team students will arrive and tuck away plastic eggs prefilled with candy and other treats.

Then Sunday morning, all that remains to be done is to unleash the kiddies to enjoy the annual quest for Easter eggs.

All proceeds will go toward covering speech team expenses including memberships, local and state competition fees and upcoming trips to national tournaments. And those costs can be pretty steep.

Since its formation more than 10 years ago, the Tusky Valley Speech Team has been producing qualifiers and champions at both the state and national level like clockwork. And few things are as heartbreaking for a student as qualifying for a major tournament and then being unable attend due to the cost.

National tournaments are typically held in larger cities in faraway states, so from airfare to hotel rooms to meals and tournament fees, the costs can be staggering for many families.

Even traveling to the state tournament can put a significant dent in family budgets, as can simply attending all of the regular tournaments throughout the year.

What’s more, the speech team receives no funding from the school system, leaving them to raise whatever money they need themselves.

Twelve Tusky Valley students recently competed in the Ohio Speech and Debate Association’s state tournament where they, again, made an impressive showing, according to their coach Carrie Spina.

“We have a young team of mostly freshmen and sophomores with three juniors, and yet, they’re all doing amazing things,” said Spina. “At the state tournament we had a quarterfinalist, semifinalist and three finalists.”

Individual awards went to Cam McCoy, fourth place in his Program of Oral Interpretation; Kincade Brown, fifth place in Humor; and Kathryn Cuvelier, second place in Program Oral Interpretation.

The school also received a School of Excellence Award in Interpretive Speaking.

How to order

Price options are 30 eggs for $30, 50 for $45, 100 for $80 and $200 for $150. Orders can be placed online by scanning the QR code or by printing out the order form from Facebook and dropping it off at the school. Orders and payment are due by March 16. Additional instructions can be found on the form. For additional information contact Nancy Corder at 330-353-4414 or nancy.corder4@gmail.com.

Those who don't have little ones can still support the team in several ways. Cash donations are appreciated, as are donations of small wrapped candies and plastic eggs.