Liesl Roorda, during her 16 years as speech and drama coach at Montezuma, gives constructive criticism to the improv groups. (Calli Zimmerman photo)
by Natalie Kirton
For the past sixteen years, Liesl Roorda has been using her love and talent for acting to encourage students to take the stage themselves. She directs, critiques and advises the participants throughout the season. She also guides practices, attends every performance and waits impatiently with students for contest results.
Her slender body absolutely bubbles with constant energy, even as she sits still. Her facial expressions and hand movements are always emphasizing the internal drive she radiates.
Roorda’s passion for all things drama began early. “I was very involved in Speech & Drama during high school. I had two awesome coaches and just loved to act,” she said.
After high school, Roorda went to the University of Iowa and received a degree in education. During this time she began judging high school competitions and attending student produced drama events.
Roorda graduated in 1989 and began a job in Grinnell schools. She worked there for six years in special education for children with behavioral disorders. Afterward, she taught Montezuma first graders for a year and then switched to her current position as a second grade teacher.
She has never let acting fall far from her grasp. She has done several commercials, including commercials for HyVee, Karl Chevrolet and even Oxi Clean. Roorda was also in the movie Dead Awake, shot in Iowa and released on DVD, and in several magazine ads.
Through her acting, teaching, being a wife and mother and all of the ordinary stresses of life, Roorda still manages to take on coaching Speech & Drama during the winter months. “I believe that I would not be in a coaching position had that not been the plan for my life. It was not some random thing.”
Every year, Roorda sifts through basketball, cheerleading, wrestling, dance, work and other schedules to find time for students to practice for their competitions. Once conflicts are handled, students come together to perfect their pieces and add finishing touches.
Roorda hopes that the skills she teaches participants will stick with them in the years to come. “I want students to be more confident with themselves as a person and as a speaker. Be more responsible, and be more respectful to their teammates, their coaches and generally to others around them. Speech helps people get better at that.”
She is also very confident in her students' abilities. Countless hours of work have been put into the 2010-2011 Speech & Drama season. Scripts have been edited, lines have been memorized and emotions have been amplified.
“Drama Night served its purpose,” said Roorda. “We’ve been moving forward and I’m optimistic about how we will end up.” The Speech & Drama students share Roorda’s enthusiasm about the District contest held at Montezuma Community School on Saturday, Jan. 22.
