On March 16, 2017, New Ulm was happy to show off its new building while hosting the Big South Conference for speech. The bell tone at 2:55 usually symbolizes the end of the day for NU students, but it was just the start for the many students in speech. Nerves were at an all time high as hundreds of students in suits began to flood the school. In total, there were 12 schools and 256 competitors in attendance. The Big South Conference marks the first tournament in the speech season where time limits are enforced, seven minutes for draw categories and ten minutes for all other categories. This meet proved to be a harder one for the New Ulm Speechies, but they ended up having a pretty strong standing for finals. The following students placed:

Jordan Rummel – Dramatic Interpretation – 6th Place

Bethany Janssen – Great Speeches – 5th Place

Nick Schultz – Humorous – 1st Place

Emma Maudal – Humorous – 6th Place

Rachel Dauer – Storytelling – 6th Place

The speech coach, Mr. Van Leeuwe, had a hectic day making sure everything was just so for the meet. At the end of the meet he had only positive remarks. “I think the meet went extremely well, especially for our first time in the new high school. All the teams were very impressed by the new building, the gorgeous auditorium, and even the secure entrance! Lots of students wondered why their school didn’t have one! The night seemed to go without any major problems. I think our team did well with 5 finalists (compared to just 1 last year), including Nick Schultz as the humorous Big South All-Conference Champion!”