but seriously, folks

Columbia Falls senior tackles new challenges at school with a straight face and a sense of humor

Sydney Jordt changed her style this year. She went from humorous to serious, and threw in a bit of duo on the side.

Read "humorous oral interpretation," "serious oral interpretation" and "humorous oral interpretation with a partner."

Then put it all in the context of Columbia Falls High School speech and debate team work, and you understand that Jordt can articulate her message pretty well. In fact, the 18-year-old high-school senior does it in many arenas beyond speech and debate.

But this foray to the serious side follows on the heels of three trips to Class A state speech tournaments, all in humorous oral interpretation. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, Jordt finished eighth, second and third in the state, respectively.

"It's been fun," she admitted, brushing aside praise.

And the unstoppably positive, determined, red-haired honor student definitely has a natural humorous streak in her.

So why would Jordt give up a good thing in her final shot at the first-place humorous title?

"To see if I could do it," she explained, "to stretch my abilities, as an actress, to see if I can tell a story in another way. It's definitely been fun learning."

Apparently, the learning's been quick, too.

She captured three first-place finishes at tournaments hosted by Whitefish, Eureka and Missoula, finished fourth at the highly competitive Missoula Loyola meet and fifth in Kalispell.

At the Kalispell and Bozeman meets, she and her Class A comrades went toe-to-toe with large-school Class AA speakers. Also at those meets, she and Jake Bengtson teamed up for their first humorous interpretation duo, taking a risk with short practice time in a meet where they were bound to face seasoned competition.

"It was a good challenge," she said.

That challenge tested her ability to quickly change the tenor of her competition day from their humorous duo parody of Hansel and Gretel to her portrayal of a woman's realization that her battle is not with the breast cancer threatening her body, but with the despair threatening her soul. Eventually, Jordt said, it gives way to a renewed hope and faith.

"It's harder than it seems," she said. "I wanted to see if I could keep the energy up during the day."

This morning, she's with the Wildcat speakers and debaters at divisional competition in Libby.

There, she hopes to qualify for state competition to be hosted on her home turf next weekend.

Despite her public appearance, Jordt still harbors a twinge of reticence.

"I wouldn't say I'm shy, I'm just not as confident in myself as I ought to be," she said. But she's grown through that, with a little help from those she loves.

"This high-school experience would not be what it is without the friends and family being there to support me," she said, "without the family to stick with me, and the friends, too. And the hugs and the smiles and the laughter in the hallways."

Daughter of Aaron and Tammy Jordt of rural Columbia Falls, and big sister to Cedar, who's in the sixth grade at Columbia Falls Junior High, Jordt said she's always enjoyed a close-knit family life that allows her to confide her fears and questions and to feel the freedom and safety to stretch her wings.

Church life at Our Redeemer Lutheran - where she has taught Sunday school and Bible school, sang with the choir, took part in youth group - and their unity of faith is a major defining factor in the Jordt family.

"It plays a huge role in all of the decisions I make," she said.

"I don't think I could make it through without this. My parents have raised both my sister and I in the faith."

It also had something to do with her choice of speech topic this year, exploring the faceoff between despair and hope. And it spurred her to attend the Kalispell presentation by Chonda Pierce, a Christian comedienne with a message.

"That's something I admire, too," Jordt said, "to stand up for what you believe, and to have that confidence."

She takes hold of just about every opportunity to stretch her own confidence level.

As an eighth-grader she took a drama class, then wagged her way through "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as the lovable Who dog.

She's been in drama club all four years of high school, taking parts in spring plays and musicals each year. She also has acted in two productions at Flathead Valley Community College, "Stage Door" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs."

In the summer after her sophomore year, she learned the fine art of set design, stage-hand work and operating the light board through an internship with the Alpine Theatr e Project at the O'Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

Working that summer with Betsi Morrison, Luke Walrath and David Ackroyd on "Songs for a New World," she learned from the valley's best resident professionals and was spurred to aspirations for a career in theater.

"My dream is to act," she said.

Her next step will be college, where she expects to major in theater arts and minor in education or communications. She's been accepted by four - Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., Seattle Pacific University, George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., and University of Montana - but has yet to decide on one.

Broad backgrounds, however, make the best thespians.

Jordt plays xylophone, timpani and other instruments with the high-school's percussion ensemble.

She's on vibraphone in the top-drawer Columbians jazz ensemble.

She takes voice lessons from Cathy Helder in Kalispell, and is learning how to sing jazz with the Columbians in hopes of taking over from Nellie Lutz as she graduates early this winter.

She's been playing drums since sixth grade and said she "barely" plays piano, after a couple years of lessons in her younger years.

"It's just something fresh, something new, a new challenge and the idea of learning something new," Jordt explained her passion for playing the full spectrum. "It makes high school so much more enjoyable."

Golf entered her repertoire when she joined the school team as a junior and senior. She's no pro, she said, but "it's one of those things I can do now."

At the end of her junior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society for her high grade-point average, school involvement, community service and work ethic.

Her fellow students elected her homecoming queen this year, providing a repeat appearance in the royal court that she first entered as a sophomore.

Hiking, rafting, bonfires, family card games, an occasional run, and going for coffee with friends provides her with a little down-time relaxation.

For today and the coming week, though, she will be in high gear competing in and preparing for speech competition. She's not spending energy worrying about her outcome at state next Saturday, though.

"I just want to try hard and do my best," Jordt said, "and be OK with however things shake out."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.