By Monty Siekerman
Interclass, a synonym for academic excellence, was won by the Junior Class at Ada High School on Friday night at the school auditorium. 

Individual winners were Erryk Katayama, a senior, for essay; Lyric Jones, a senior, for poetry; Austin Amburgey, a junior, for short story; and Jacob Colwell, a junior, for dramatic reading. 

Interclass is unique to Ada. It is 112 years old, most like the longest running organization in the village. Has it runs its course? No, because all of the students were well prepared, some giving quite long monologues from memory. Several hundred people attended the event, proving that Interclass is still viable even in the age of time-robbing TV and electronic devices.

Audience members devoted two and a half hours hearing from sophomores, juniors, and seniors, 12 students in all. All of the presentations were written by the students, except in the dramatic reading category. 

Such a long program requires an intermission. Traditionally, the teachers shoot and edit a humorous video for that time slot, and the Academic Boosters provide cookies. 

After all of the presentations have concluded, another video is shown while the judges decide the winners. This funny video is written by and stars members of the senior class.

Interclass was devised by Dr. C.H. Freeman the year he served as Ada principal. He went on to become a state legislator, introducing many bills including the Teachers Retirement Act. Then, he spent 43 years as head of the ONU English Department. Thus the long-running Interclass contest is heavy on English: essay, poetry, short stories, readings.

PHOTOS:

• Individual winners (from left) : Erryk Katayama, Lyric Jones, Austin Amburgey, Jacob Colwell

• The Junior Class wins the Interclass Contest. Hefting high the trophy are (from left) Audrey Hazelton, Brendan Sheridan, Jacob Colwell, and Austin Amburgey.