From March 13-15, the speech and debate team traveled to Cheyenne to compete in the state tournament, the final competition of their season.

Speech and Debate encourages students to get creative, allowing them to develop their own performances or arguments while relying on their unique ideas and interpretations.

Junior Emilio Torres competed in both Humorous and Dramatic Interpretation. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I placed alright in both events. I felt that both the team and I did great, even though we didn’t make it far. What stood out most was how well our team—and many others—came together to play the game, even as rivals.”

Sophomore Bailey Sperry also competed in Humorous Interpretation. She shared, “I didn’t do too well. I placed 4th, 3rd, 3rd, and 4th in my rounds.”

Sophomore Porter Putnam participated in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, finishing with two wins and four losses. He described the tournament as “interesting, fun, and sleep-depriving, with a mix of both bad and good judges.”

Sophomore Ian Coles competed in Congressional Debate, which he described as “surprising and fun.” He placed 9th, 14th, and 15th in Round 4, 9th three times in Round 3, 9th twice and 8th once in Round 2, and 9th three times in Round 1. He reflected on the challenges of the activity, saying, “Speech is a difficult sport because judging can be so inconsistent. You can practice the most, have the best piece or argument, and still place last or lose simply because a judge didn’t like it. One round, you could place 1st, and in the next, 6th—just because of how subjective it is.”

This tournament had a significant emotional impact on many students, particularly the seniors, who realized it was their last competition. While many expressed disappointment in their results, they also shared pride in their progress and achievements, regardless of placement.