Southland College Place 2nd in State, Six on State's All-Cast

RICHTON PARK, ILL. -- March 27 – There’s but one place to go for Southland’s College Prep Group Interpretation team – the top.

The young, inspired team will have to wait until next year after finishing 2nd in State to Reavis High School Saturday.

Southland College Prep Charter High School’s Forensics and Theatre Department competed mightily for the IHSA Championship at Oak Lawn High School, but were left to the final decisions of the judges, who, nonetheless, selected a state-high six cast members to the All-Cast state team, announced during the trophy ceremony last Saturday afternoon.

According to Cheryl Frazier, Southland's award-winning Director of Forensics and Theatre, the 10 cast members and six directors view second in state as “gold” because their real victory was in the journey, in what started as a rebuilding year with young performers and underclassmen.

“Our students peaked and delivered their finest performances when it mattered,” said Frazier. “The finals showed not only our hard work in getting here, but our potential and what we have to build on. Congratulations to Reavis High School.”

Southland College Prep chose to interpret the searing "The Bluest Eye” novel.

Their performance - a dramatic piece drawn from the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison - was the author’s auspicious debut published in 1970.

Morrison’s novel introduces a number of autobiographical elements. The setting is in Lorain, Ohio, where Morrison was born and lived as a child.

"The performance by our Group Interpretation team presents the perspective of a nine-year-old girl,” said Frazier. “Morrison explains that the book is a statement about the damage internalized racism can do to the most vulnerable member of a community - a young girl.

“Performance after performance we witnessed a mounting portrayal of these torn characters coming off the pages of this masterwork by Ms. Morrison,” said Frazier. “For these youngsters to find the wherewithal to bring forth such emotion points to greater achievements in the future.”

The young, 2021-22 team continues the Southland College Prep speech team’s tradition of performing extraordinarily well in IHSA events with “interpretations both demanding and exhausting” added Frazier, who is assisted by Malik Bibbie, a member of the 2014 state runner-up team that brought early glory to the Southland program.

Six of the 10 members of the Group Interpretation team received All-Cast recognition: De’ja Mattison, Myka Moore, Nina Washington, Kaiden Rice, Dajia Alford, Makierah Stuckey.

Rounding out the team are: Christian Boyd, Anthony House, Jr., Asiah Lee and Kylee Grant.

Also taking the stage with Mrs. Frazier during the award ceremony were the six Southland team student directors: Jayla Martin, Naomi Dagba, Ashley Cooper, Diamond Hutton, Jacob Smith and Nehemiah James.

"This Southland Speech and Forensic team is a credit to the culture Mrs. Frazier has established,” said Dr. Blondean Davis, CEO. "With this level of talent, there’s no telling how far these students can take their passion and dedication for the interpretation of great literature.

“Southland is so pleased with these students and the grace they showed all weekend under the direction of Mrs. Frazier and Mr. Bibbie.”