Dominating speech and debate

Kalispell ruled in Class AA and Columbia Falls claimed the top spot in Class A speech and debate competitions last week.

In other words, nothing changed in the world of high school speech.

Glacier and Flathead high schools finished first and second, respectively, in Class AA speech and Columbia Falls won the state title in Class A.

That marked a continuation of the dominance of Flathead Valley high schools. While Columbia Falls youths were winning the eighth-straight speech trophy for the school, Glacier was winning its third straight state speech and debate championship.

Don’t forget Bigfork, which earned second place in speech and third place in drama in the state Class B/C finale.

These team triumphs — give credit to the efforts of well-spoken students in a host of different events — again offer testament that our schools are the epicenter of achievement in the Montana speech and debate world.

Congratulations to all these speakers as well as their parents and coaches.

... And a coda for kudos

Congratulations are due, too, to Allen Slater, director of Flathead High School bands.

Slater recently was named the top music educator for a six-state region.

That’s a deserved honor for Slater, who has imparted his enthusiasm, energy and skills to young musicians for more than three decades.

School music teachers are among the hardest-working people around, and it’s refreshing to see Slater’s hard work pay off with recognition by his peers.

He would be the first to tell you, however, that his payoff is in the music his students produce.

UM’s outreach program

The University of Montana and its leadership should be commended for getting off the campus and into rural communities like Polebridge.

The UM geography department leads a class of about 22 students into the North Fork Flathead drainage each January for a full-week immersion into the landscape and its culture. It brings the seasonal townsite of Polebridge to life, and provides learning opportunities for locals as well as the students.

In a recent visit with the Inter Lake editorial board, UM President Royce Engstrom emphasized the importance of sharing the university and its resources with the rest of the state.

One example is UM’s new resident physician partnership with the hospitals in Missoula and Kalispell, and the Polebridge class is just one of many more outreach efforts.

Bravo, UM!

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.