State Debate

The Speech and Debate team made waves this past weekend at the state debate. The team brought home several impressive placements in Congressional Debate, including Maggie Avey’s(S) second place, Elleanor Lynch’s(S) octofinalist placement, Tucker Gratton’s(J) octofinalist placement, and Max Ciovacco’s(S) quarterfinalist finish, and overall strong performance in the Congressional debate from the team.

In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Gia Codina(S) made it to the octofinals, while Molly O’Sullivan(S) took home a quarterfinalist placement. Ryan Buckner(J) and Gabe Torkelson(J) impressed the team with their quarterfinalist finishes in Public Forum. 

All of these outstanding performances earned Bishop Kelly a second-place finish at state. 

As a member of the speech and debate team, I couldn’t be more proud of our State competitors. The team worked incredibly hard, dedicating countless hours to practicing speaking and cutting cards; every person who made it to the state should be proud of their achievements and performances. 

Trey Jenning(J) from Renaissance High School, a finalist in Congressional debate, summed up the values of speech and debate perfectly when he said: “Speech and Debate has made me a better presenter in basically everything! School, home, work, you name it! It’s overall helped me gain social confidence and also social stability! And state debate taught me all of these things to a near exponential level. It was challenging but worth every second.”

Both the Renaissance and Bishop Kelly teams embodied these qualities perfectly. Renaissance High School took home a first-place finish, and as a competitor, I couldn’t think of a more-deserving and hard-working team. 

Congratulations to the Bishop Kelly debate team on their impressive showing at the state! I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication that every member of the team has given.