Perham Speech Team Wins Subsection 6A Title, Two Earn National Invites

Kasey Wacker walked away from Perham High School's subsection tournament March 26 with three pieces of news worth celebrating: a Subsection 6A (West) team title for the Yellowjackets, national competition invitations for two of her competitors, and a Subsection Coach of the Year award from her peers.

The title came on Perham's home floor at 800 Coney Street W, where the Yellowjackets outpointed competing programs across the full range of speech events. Team titles in MSHSL speech are won through depth, not a single breakout performer. Finalists across categories like original oratory, poetry, prose, extemporaneous speaking, drama, and debate each contribute to an aggregate point total, and Perham's haul was enough to claim first as a program.

Two Perham students earned invitations to a national-level competition, a distinction that extends their season well beyond the MSHSL calendar and introduces real planning considerations for their families: travel arrangements, chaperones, and likely fundraising. Their next step on the state ladder is April 11, when the Section 6A tournament comes to Perham.

That Perham is hosting sections carries weight beyond home-floor familiarity. Running a regional tournament at 800 Coney Street W means the school's activities office will coordinate volunteer judges, manage multiple event rooms simultaneously, and handle parking and scheduling for schools arriving from across the region. Competing families will fill Perham restaurants and shops for the day, a tangible return for a community that backs the program. Anyone interested in volunteering as a judge can contact Perham High School's activities office directly.

Wacker's Coach of the Year recognition reflects how the broader 6A coaching community sees her program. The award is selected by peer coaches at the subsection level, making it a direct endorsement from rivals who watched Perham win on its own floor. For a team now hosting sections and sending students to nationals, the timing fits.