Cedar Rapids Washington High School is very proud to be hosting your SE District State Large Group Speech Contest on Saturday, February 8, 2025. The following information will hopefully answer many of your questions. As always, please feel free to email our contest manager with any questions or concerns. Carrie Tinkham can be reached at washingtondramaclub@gmail.com.
Please check in at the information desk inside the main office entrance when you arrive. If you have any changes to report, please let us know when you check in...even better, please fill out the change form prior to your arrival.
WEATHER RELATED ANNOUNCEMENTS
If we should have questionable weather, any delays or cancellations will be broadcast on KCRG Channel 9, KWWL Channel 7, KGAN Channel 2, and local radio stations. We will also post changes and announcements on this website, as well as www.ihssa.org. If we know in advance of any problems, we will be in contact with you the day before contest. We will delay as a first option, if necessary. Our priority will be to hold contest, if at all possible.
EQUIPMENT INFORMATION
All schools performing a one act, readers theatre, or choral reading will receive an email inquiring about set requirements. Please respond to this! If you require any other additional equipment, please email contest manager Carrie Tinkham at washingtondramaclub@gmail.com.
TV NEWS AND SHORT FILM INFORMATION
For short film and TV News entries, IHSSA rules state that teams must bring their own projection equipment; we are prepared with a screen for you. However, ****** put in information about tablets in rooms. Our school will have guest wireless internet, and signs will be posted with that information.
UNLOADING INSTRUCTIONS
If you travel to the contest by school bus or van, please ENTER the ONE-WAY driveway for the main entrance of the school off Forest Drive. EXIT ONLY will be clearly marked. Follow the drive around toward the arcade. Parking volunteers will direct you to a temporary spot along the drive.
You will unload props, set pieces, students, etc. through the doors marked "Cafeteria Doors.” Please note that there is a bit of a walk between the prop storage area and the performance spaces for One Act Play, Readers Theatre, and Choral Reading. All items must be able to fit through a normal-sized classroom door.
If you have a large one act set, please make sure that you alert contest manager Carrie Tinkham via the entry information survey she will send out.
We will set up a staging area for One Act Play (Centers 5 and 6) and Choral Reading (Center 3) in the hallway near the centers and in the backstage area. Please follow the signage to the staging area one performance before your performance slot.
At your time of departure, please do not park your bus or van to load until all your students are ready to go, as this blocks the driveway for other people to use.
PROP WEAPONS
If you are bringing a prop weapon of any kind, please email contest manager Carrie Tinkham (washingtondramaclub@gmail.com). These will be stored in the main office until you performance, and should stay there the rest of the day besides.
PARKING INSTRUCTIONS
Due to the significant number of groups participating in the Southeast contest, parking will be VERY limited. Please encourage your families/friends that will be attending to carpool. Those looking to see their students perform should arrive at least 30-45 minutes early. Once the school parking lots are filled completely, guests will be directed to park in our off-site overflow lots.
Overflow Guest Parking is located east on Cottage Grove Avenue SE at Cedar Valley Christian School and St. George Orthodox Church. Signs will be posted directing you to these lots. Shuttle vans will run regularly to transport spectators back and forth between the school and parking lots. Pick-up spots will be clearly marked and located near the entrances to the lots.
Larger school van parking will be available at Bethany Lutheran Church, conveniently located directly across Forest Drive from the school. Please avoid taking up two spaces in the on-site school lots.
School bus parking will be off-site, in several nearby lots on 1st Avenue. Maps will be provided, and signs will direct the drivers to where they need to go. A shuttle will be available to transport drivers between the parking lots and school. Pick-up spots will be clearly marked. You can contact the parking/transportation coordinator the day of the event at (319) 521-1450.
In town performers should carpool to Washington. Please plan to use the commuter lots.
Please be respectful of the homeowners in the area and adhere to the No Parking signs.
SHUTTLE INFORMATION
Since we will have offside parking and overflow parking at Cedar Valley Christian and other lots, we will have shuttle vans running back and forth from the satellite parking lots throughout the day.
When parking, the shuttle vans should be located near the entrance to the bus and overflow lots. It will be marked with clear signage.
If you are in the school and need to arrange a shuttle ride, see the parking volunteers outside the main office entrance doors.
CONTEST ENTRANCE/PROGRAMS
There will be a $5 suggested donation for all guests to enter the contest as recommended by the IHSSA. Programs (containing a school map and schedule) will be $3. As always, performing students and coaches will be admitted at no charge. We would advise you to make copies of your school's schedule for your students. Please be sure to tell your team's supporters your SCHOOL CODE so they can find your performances. and avoid stress at the front gate. Our volunteers will not have that information with them.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
The performance centers will be clearly marked and maps of the school will be available via signage and in our program. We will be utilizing rooms in the entire school--it is a very large building, so be prepared to walk! If you have large risers for your Readers Theatre, please let Carrie know in the equipment/entry survey so we can try to avoid putting you in the upstairs RT center. We will have a large amount of signage, as well as volunteers helping with directions. We recommend you have your studetns find their performance centers when they arrive at the school to ensure they know where to go! Our school does have an elevator, but it is old and slow and operates with a volunteer and a key, so please allow for extra time if you need to use the elevator.
VIDEO/PHOTOGRAPHY
Please remind spectators that photography and videotaping during any performance is strictly prohibited.
TEAM HEADQUARTERS
The high school new gymnasium will serve as a home base for all students during the day. The "Old Gym" will serve as a large warm up room and a place to store large props and boxes. Ratings will be posted in the team home base, outside the cafeteria, and on this webpage. Please remind students not to bring items that will cause headaches or disrupt the contest. These include basketballs, footballs, and loud music. Please be respectful of our spaces and school and clean up after yourselves.
NOTE: ratings will be posted in several places throughout the building, as well as on our website with QR code posters throughout the building. Therefore, students and guests should have access to the ratings in all areas of the building.
COMMENT SHEETS
Don't forget your comment sheets! You will need to have THREE comment sheets for each performance for the state contest. Please have them filled out and ready to go. If you should happen to need comment sheets, we can get some for you in the office.
Once your ratings have been posted for the entire day, you may pick up your comment sheets in the Contest Headquarters (main office).
RATINGS
Ratings will be posted in the gymnasiums, cafeteria, and here online, accessible via QR code.
CONTEST SCHEDULE
Remember that performance times are approximate. Please inform your students to let their parents and friends know about this information. We don't want anyone missing a performance that they want to see. Please make sure that parents are aware of your school code. They will not be posted online, around the school, and our volunteers will not have access to them.
Encourage your performers (and their audience) to arrive early. Again, maps and signage will help, but there is travel time between different performance centers. Centers may also run early or late.
FOOD
Washington's PPA (Patrons of the Performing Arts) will be offering breakfast, lunch, and concessions all day in our cafeteria. Please help us defray the cost of contest by having your students and audience members support our school. A full menu can be found by clicking here (link coming soon).
HALLWAYS/NOISE
Help us in patrolling the hallways for noise! We want a contest environment that is conducive to performing. It all boils down to a matter of respect. We feel that we can all do a better job while walking by or standing outside of centers. Thank you in advance for your assistance!
We will have a number of warm up rooms to help alleviate noise in the gym and in the hallways. Please encourage your students to take advantage of these warm up spaces (while also being respectful of other groups who want to use them) to cut down on the noise/people in the hallways! These will be noted on the map and with signage.
LOST AND FOUND
Check back here after contest for a list of found items and instructions on the fastest way to contact the school in order to retrieve your belongings.
PAYMENT
We will accept cash, check, credit card, and Venmo as payment for entrance donations and programs. We are also able to accept credit and debit card payments and Venmo for food purchases in the cafeteria and at the satellite concession stands. Please make all checks payable to WHS PPA. Thank you for supporting Washington's Fine Arts booster club!