On the first weekend of Thanksgiving, November 21-22, while most students were either lounging in crystal waters or skiing down icy slopes, four members of the Speech & Debate team competed at Glenbrooks, one of the most prestigious, cut throat tournaments in the nation. In Original Oratory (the largest speech event at the competition), juniors Aditi Iyer and Caroline Hsu as well as sophomore Solemei Scamaroni competed against 120 of the top orators in the nation. Alongside them, sophomore Adeline Mai, at her first online tournament of the season, competed in Dramatic Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation. Multiple members of the team received NIETOC (National Individual Events Tournament of Champion), TOC (Tournament of Champions), and State bids, all necessary for competing in these top-tier, elite tournaments. These Vikings achieved great success:

• Aditi Iyer, captain of the Speech Team and Yale Champion, semifinalist(top 12) in Original Oratory, receiving 1 NIETOC and TOC bid 
• Caroline Hsu, captain of the Speech Team and Yale finalist, quarterfinalist(top 25) in Original Oratory, receiving 1 NIETOC and TOC bid   
• Solemei Scamaroni, at her first Highschool Tournament, quarterfinalist (top 25) in Original Oratory, receiving 1 NIETOC and TOC bid     

“It was an incredible opportunity for growth and, as a team, we are so happy that this tournament marked the end of the Speech and Debate, ‘online era’,” said Mai. 

Next, the Speech and Debate Team competed on the weekend of December 3-5 at the University of Texas, a competition highly indicative of Texas’ talent and competitive caliber. Both the middle and highschool speech and debate team competed at the tournament in various events ranging from Humorous Interpretation to Original Oratory. These Vikings achieved phenomenal success:  

• Kahani Malhotra, Co-captain of the Speech Team, placed 7th in Original Oratory, receiving 1 NIETOC, TOC, and state bid 
• Solemei Scamaroni placed 9th in Original Oratory, receiving 1 NIETOC, TOC, and state bid (Qualified for NIETOC and TOC) 
• Aditi Iyer placed 10th in Original Oratory,  receiving 1 NIETOC, TOC, and state bid (Qualified for NIETOC and TOC)  
• Adeline Mai quarter-finaled (top 25) in Program Oral Interpretation 
• Nicole Blaco, Captain of the Middle School Speech and Debate Team, quarter-finaled (top 25) in Humorous Interpretation. 

Overall, the highschool team is growing and excelling under the guidance of Andrew Barrett, the new Speech & Debate coach. The team is now preparing themselves for next semester, specifically on growing their repertoire from one to three events. “We can’t wait to continue crafting our pieces and compete next semester!” states Mai.

For updates on the Speech & Debates team’s success, follow their Instagram: @vhs_forensics