BHS Speech & Debate Team

03/25/2026

‘Speech basically saved me’: Caterpillar invests $300K in Peoria speech and debate program

DETAILS: https://tinyurl.com/mw4djapn

03/08/2026

We’re going to Nats! Congratulations to Gean Carter, a qualifier in Dramatic Interpretation!

Here are our results from today:

Dramatic Interpretation - Gean Carter (NATIONAL QUALIFIER)
Dramatic Interpretation - Sage Eyres (Finalist)
Program Oral Interpretation - Issaria Jacobs (Semifinalist)
Program Oral Interpretation - Leah Hafley (Semifinalist)

We’re so proud of everyone who competed today! 💜💛

02/21/2026

Hello from STATE!

02/15/2026

Today was a day of growth, grit, and a whole lot of pride at the IHSA Sectional at U-High. 💜 Every single one of our contestants showed up ready to compete, ready to learn, and ready to represent our team with integrity.

A huge congratulations to our finalists:
🏅Informative Speaking – Sage Eyres (5th Place)
🥈Poetry Speaking – Gean Carter (2nd Place – STATE QUALIFIER!)
🏅Prose Reading – Gean Carter (6th Place)

We are so incredibly proud of Gean for earning a trip to STATE! To our entire team, thank you for your work, your commitment, and the way you continue to show what it means to be a Raider. Onward!

02/08/2026

Bloomington High School placed third at the IHSA Speech Regional at Olympia, with 11 events moving on to the IHSA Speech Sectional at U-High! Congratulations to all of our competitors!

🥉Dramatic Duet Acting - Issaria Jacobs & Sage Eyres (3rd Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Jack Eddleman (4th Place)
🏅Extemporaneous - Jack Eddleman (6th Place)
🏅Humorous Interpretation - Leah Hafley (5th Place)
🏅Impromptu - Delaney Brown (4th Place)
🥈Informative - Sage Eyres (2nd Place)
🥈Declamation - Leah Hafley (2nd Place)
🏅Original Comedy - Zahara Gordon (4th Place)
🏅Original Oratory - Hadleigh Curl (4th Place)
🥇Poetry - Gean Carter (REGIONAL CHAMPION)
🥉Prose - Gean Carter (3rd Place)
🏅Radio - Ruchi Thompy (4th Place)
🥉SOS - Ruchi Thompy (3rd Place)

02/02/2026

And so it begins!

01/31/2026

That’s a wrap on our regular season! Up next? IHSA State Series and Nat Quals! Congrats to all of our contestants and finalists!

Varsity
🏅Dramatic Duet Acting - Issaria Jacobs & Sage Eyres (6th Place)
🏅Extemp - Jack Eddleman (Finalist)
🏅Declamation - Leah Hafley (6th Place)
🥉Poetry - Gean Carter (3rd Place)
🏅Prose - Sage Eyres (4th Place)
🥈Prose - Gean Carter (2nd Place)

Junior Varsity
🥈Dramatic Interpretation - Issaria Jacobs (2nd Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Hadleigh Curl (6th Place)
🥇Dramatic Interpretation - Jack Eddleman (1st Place)
🥈Humorous Interpretation - Leah Hafley (2nd Place)
🏅Original Oratory - Hadleigh Curl (5th Place)
🥇Poetry - Issaria Jacobs (1st Place)
🥉Prose - Leah Hafley (3rd Place)

01/24/2026

CISDA Exec came together today with Lincoln to host 16 schools, and BHS took fourth! Here are our results based on prelims! 💜💛

Varsity
🥇Declamation - Leah Hafley (1st Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Jack Eddleman (7th Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Hadleigh Curl (7th Place)
🏅Extemp - Jack Eddleman (5th Place)
🏅Humorous Interpretation - Leah Hafley (7th Place)
🏅Impromptu - Delaney Brown (6th Place)
🥈Informative - Sage Eyres (2nd Place)
🥇Poetry - Gean Carter (1st Place)
🏅Poetry - Issaria Jacobs (6th Place)
🥇Prose - Gean Carter (1st Place)
🥇Prose - Leah Hafley (1st Place)
🏅Prose - Sage Eyres (6th Place)
🏅Radio - Ruchi Thompy (5th Place)
🥉Original Comedy - Zahara Gordon (3rd Place)

Junior Varsity

🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Roman Rogers (2nd Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Issaria Jacobs (3rd)
🏅Impromptu - Sophia Lahr (4th Place)

01/18/2026

Bloomington HS competed at the Eureka CISDA Invitational today with 24 teams! Congratulations on a smooth, successful tournament, Eureka, and congrats to all of our competitors!

Varsity Finalists
🏅Declamation - Leah Hafley (4th Place)
🏅Extemp - Jack Eddleman (5th Place)
🏅Impromptu - Delaney Brown (4th Place)
🥇Informative - Sage Eyres (CHAMPION)
🏅Poetry - Gean Carter (5th Place)
🏅Prose - Gean Carter (5th Place)
🥉Prose - Leah Hafley (3rd Place)
🏅Original Comedy - Zahara Gordon (6th Place)

Junior Varsity Finalists
🥈Dramatic Interpretation - Jack Eddleman (2nd Place)
🥉Dramatic Interpretation - Issaria Jacobs (3rd Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Hadleigh Curl (5th Place)
🏅Dramatic Interpretation - Roman Rogers (6th Place)
🏅Humorous Interpretation - Leah Hafley (6th Place)
🏅Impromptu - Sophia Lahr (5th Place)
🥉Poetry - Issaria Jacobs (3rd Place)

01/11/2026

The Raiders debuted (again) after a 1 month hiatus! Congrats on finishing 9th out of 18 schools today at the Glenwood SISAL Invitational!

Varsity
🏅Declamation - Leah Hafley (6th Place)
🥈Informative - Sage Eyres (2nd Place)
🏅Original Comedy - Zahara Gordon (4th Place)
🏅Prose - Sage Eyres (5th Place)

Varsity Next-in
🥈Prose - Leah Hafley (2nd Place)
🏅Prose - Gean Carter (5th Place)

Junior Varsity
🥉Extemporaneous - Jack Eddleman (3rd Place)
🏅Poetry - Issaria Jacobs (4th Place)

01/06/2026

We love to see Speech alums doing their thing! Congrats, Cassie Adelman!

🎭 Member Monday: Cassie Adelman, NCHS

In only her second year, Cassie has been invited to present her fall play (The Diary of Anne Frank) at the Illinois Theater Association’s high school theater festival! While the event is not open to the public, it is a great honor and recognition of the hard work of Cassie and the students of the NCHS theatre department.

The lead in the All State musical is also an NCHS senior - Miguel Patiño Diaz!

We’re so proud of the work Cassie is doing with the theatre department at NCHS and the amazing student performances as a result!