Debate Students Bring Home Trophies, Awards

Speech and Debate students at Spring Woods High School started off the new school year with top rankings and new trophies and awards. 

Student team updates include:

• In June, Spring Woods High was named a School of Excellence, ranking it in the Top 20 programs in debate, after students competed in the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament. Senior Jeremiah Menslage placed fourth there and Hunter Brown advanced to the Top 60 nationally in the Congressional Debate category area. 
• Earlier this month, Congressional Debate’s Hunter Brown advanced to the semifinals at the first national tournament of the year at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and earned a Tournament of Champions bid. A student debater needs two bids to compete at the spring tournament. Brown is the first district student to ever achieve this ranking, the high school reports.
• In separate student news, Spring Woods High School earned a Sweepstakes ranking and placed fifth out of 28 high schools at a recent competition held at Alief Elsie High School in Alief ISD. 
• Individual student awards from the Alief Elsie High School tourney include: Nhi Tran, 6th place, Novice Congressional Debate, and 3rd place, Novice Extemporaneous Speaking; Sabina Garibovic, 5th place, Informative Speaking; David Valdez, 5^th place, Poetry; Mi'kel Metz and Roel Cruz, 2^nd place, Duo Interpretation; Valeria Lopez and Dexter Mejia, 6^th place, Duo Interpretation; and Garrin Bundrick, 1st place, Dramatic Interpretation.
• Student awards in Humorous Interpretation, also at Alief Elsik are: Mi'kel Met, 6^th place, Marc Castro, 5^th place; Kris McDermott, 4^th place; Anahi Torres, 3^rd place; and Roel Cruz, 2^nd place.

The Spring Woods High student speech and debate program is led by Victoria Beard, director of forensics.