To round out their competition season, the speech and debate team traveled 50 miles to John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres to participate in the middle school and novice state tournaments April 10-12. 

As one of the last competitions of the 2024-2025 school year before the national conference in June, middle schoolers and novices (high schoolers new to the club) had an opportunity to practice alongside their teammates. Several varsity members of the team also attended to earn service hours for judging events.

The team returned Saturday night after a successful weekend of wins, placing first in 10 out of 27 events and earning trophies in almost every other category. The results are as follows:

Middle School Congressional Debate:

• 7th grader Stanley Beckley – 4th
• 7th grader Robert Knyazev – 5th

Middle School Declamation:

• 8th grader Inica Kaushal – 1st
• 8th grader Aarush Choksi – 6th

Middle School Duo Interpretation:

• 8th graders Jade Pollack and Madeline Zhuravel – 2nd

Middle School Extemporaneous Speaking:

• 8th grader Arusha Choksi – 5th

Middle School Impromptu Speaking:

• 8th grader Madeline Zhuravel – 1st

Middle School Original Oratory:

• 8th grader Inica Kaushal – 1st
• 8th grader Charlotte Nathanson – 2nd

Middle School Poetry:

• 7th grader Anna Krueger – 5th

Middle School Public Forum:

• 8th graders Shyam Muhunthan & Sanjay Singh – Quarterfinalists 

Novice After Dinner Speaking:

• Freshman Halle Bank – 1st

Novice Congressional Debate:

• Freshman Archith Venkat – 5th
• Freshman Sebastian Blasdel – Semifinalist
• Freshman Ian Chen – Semifinalist
• Freshman Lucas Calderon – Semifinalist
• Sophomore Susana Regueira – Semifinalist
• Freshman Lukas Cordoba – Semifinalist
• Junior Angeliah Pierre – Semifinalist

Novice Dramatic Interpretation:

• Freshman Gabriella Otero – 1st

Novice Duo Interpretation:

• Freshmen Jacob Mendelson and Sofia Wood – 6th

Novice Extemporaneous Speaking:

• Freshman Dean Lee – Semifinalist

Novice Humorous Interpretation:

• Freshman Alexander Musa – 1st
• Freshman Jacob Mendelson – 3rd

Novice Impromptu Speaking:

• Freshman Mathis Rothschild – 1st
• Freshman Tanush Sajja – 2nd
• Freshman Halle Bank – 4th

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate:

• Freshman Conan Matos – 1st
• Freshman Cristina Alvarez – Semifinalist
• Freshman Joel Cardenas – Quarterfinalist
• Freshman Melody Cheng – Octafinalist
• Freshman Nelson Shi – Octafinalist
• Freshman Aaditya Mitra – Octafinalist

Novice Original Oratory:

• Freshman Mathis Rothschild – 1st
• Freshman Tidyan Baazi Pujol – 3rd
• Freshman Aniya Codada – 4th
• Freshman Tanush Sajja – 6th
• Sophomore Noor Dalal – Semifinalist

Novice Program of Oral Interpretation:

• Freshman Gabriella Otero – 1st

Novice Public Forum Debate

• Freshmen Saphara Kelegama and Carolina Pineda – Quarterfinalists
• Freshmen Roma Agarwal and Krish Hirani – Octafinalists
• Freshmen Rachel Cohen and Anthony Fateev – Octafinalists
• Freshmen Cassandra Beane and Inika Chemuru – Octafinalists

_{With hundreds of participants in the tournament, earning a trophy was a true feat. “Whatever competition it may be, effort and practice will always be at the heart of the win,” eighth grader Inica Kaushal said. Championing two events, Original Oratory and Declamation, Kaushal is set to further develop her skills in high school. (Photo/Joele Denis)}

_{After a long weekend of wins, members of the high school team are launching themselves back into practice before the upcoming national tournament. (Photo/Joele Denis)}