Eleven students have qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Nationals. The event is to be held in Dallas, Texas, June 16 through the 21.
“I’m very proud of them, and I’m more proud that they’re positioning themselves to not just be successful locally but nationally,” speech and debate coach Rory McKenzie said. “ I’m very excited to take the trip with them and see what they can do against the rest of the country.”
All of the qualifying students and their events include: Haley Bass in Informative Oratory, Emma Cook in Program of Oral Interp, Ashlyn Ellgass in Informative Oratory, Alex Gaba and Ali Some in Duo Interpretation, Jeremy Guidotti in Original Oratory, Maddie Mezzell in Dramatic Interpretation, Ally Perkins in LD Debate, Samantha Rodden in Program of Oral Interp, Ainsley Smith in Humorous Interp and Josh Smith for Congressional Debate.
I love being able to be involved with speech and debate, not only to get out of school. It’s super fun and helps you make connections with debaters everywhere, as well as giving you a lot of different college opportunities other students don’t get. — Ainsley Smith
Each event will consist of a series of elimination rounds until the final placements are decided. This tournament will determine who will continue and advance to nationals this year.
“I enjoy participating because the speech and debate community is very welcoming and fun to be a part of,” sophomore Allison Somes said. “Everyone is extremely supportive, and we all form tight friendships with one another.”
