Members of Avon’s Interscholastic Competition in English team put up a strong showing Tuesday at SUNY Geneseo.
The ICE competition, as it’s affectionately known, tests students’ abilities in three distinct categories: literary interpretation, creative writing and dramatic presentation.
For the literary interpretation portion of the competition, students take a 50- to 75-question multiple choice exam that asks them to analyze:
• A short video clip (in this particular instance, a TED Talk on introvertedness).
• Two or three essays or short stories that are classics of the English literary canon.
• Two or three poems that are also considered canonical classics.
• A piece of flash fiction, a literary genre marked by extreme brevity.
Students competing in the creative writing category were tasked with penning two distinct pieces. Students wrote the first back in November on one of the following topics: survival, regret, making a scene, inching closer or something comforting. The work was capped at 500 words.
Then, on Tuesday, students were tasked with writing a 100-word reaction to or reflection on the following quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Students were presented with the prompt on the day of the competition, so they wouldn’t have time to prepare.
Finally, students competing in the dramatic presentation category were given an empty stage and 2-½ minutes to give a monologue of their choosing.
In the dramatic presentation category for Avon, Michael C. performed a monologue from the one-act play “Goodbye Charles” by Gabriel Davis that centers on a man (Charles) grappling internally about his feelings of deep attraction to his best friend’s girlfriend after an inexplicably romantic night.
Brian L. performed a monologue from “A Singular Kind of Guy” by David Ives, which centers on a man named Mitch’s realization that he is not actually a human, but an Olivetti model 250 portable electric typewriter.
Avon’s final dramatic presentation competitor, Courtney Y., performed a monologue from “Hello, Goodbye, Peace: A Play in One Act,” also by Gabriel Davis. During the monologue, Courtney’s character, Alina, argues persuasively that the only way to achieve world peace is to fire all the boys and replace them with girls.
Professors from local universities and colleges like SUNY Brockport, the University of Rochester, Finger Lakes Community College and Roberts Wesleyan College served as judges.
At the end of the competition, awards were given to the top individual finishers in each of the three competition categories, the top-performing teams of three (one in each of the three categories) and to the winning school with the overall highest score.
In the individual categories, Gabrielle K. took second place for Avon in literary interpretation, Courtney Y. tied for sixth and Brian L. took fourth in dramatic presentation and Adrienne P. took sixth in creative writing. In the team competition, Avon’s team Fire and ICE, comprising Brian L. (dramatic presentation), Gabrielle K. (literary interpretation) and Sophia R. (creative writing), tied for second place.
Overall, Avon took third on the day, finishing behind winner Geneseo and second-place finisher Livonia. Wayland-Cohocton came and fourth and Caledonia-Mumford placed fifth. In all, about 50 students competed at SUNY Geneseo Tuesday.
Avon’s Sophia R. competes in the creative writing portion of the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
Avon’s Gabrielle K. competes in the literary interpretation portion of the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
Avon senior Michael C. performs his monologue from “Goodbye Charles” during the dramatic presentation portion of the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
Avon senior Brian L. performs his monologue from “A Singular Kinda Guy” during the dramatic presentation portion of the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
Avon senior Courtney Y. performs her monologue from “Hello, Goodbye, Peace: A Play in One Act” during the dramatic presentation portion of the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
The top six finishers in the literary interpretation category of the Interscholastic Competition in English pose for a photo Jan. 11 at SUNY Geneseo. Second from left is Avon senior Gabrielle K., who placed second.
The top seven finishers in the dramatic presentation category of the Interscholastic Competition in English pose for a photo Jan. 11 at SUNY Geneseo. At right is senior Avon Courtney Y., who tied for sixth. Center is senior Brian L., who took fourth.
The top six finishers in the creative writing category of the Interscholastic Competition in English pose for a photo Jan. 11 at SUNY Geneseo. Avon’s Adrienne P. took sixth and is pictured third from left.
Avon’s Sophia R. accepts the second place team trophy on behalf of Avon’s team Fire and ICE during the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11.
Members of Avon’s team Fire and ICE pose for a photo after receiving their second place team trophy at the Interscholastic Competition in English at SUNY Geneseo Jan. 11. From left are Sophia R. (creative writing), Gabrielle K. (literary interpretation) and Brian L. (dramatic presentation).