Big Questions is a debate format designed to open students’ minds and encourage them to engage in life discussion that may not align with their previously held beliefs. Whether or not students change their opinion, the rich experience of this debate event will advance their knowledge, comfort, and interest in learning more about the subject matter based on the intersection of science and philosophy.
Students greatly improved in their debate skills as the Big Questions tournament progressed. The students really had fun with it and got into the debate. It was nice for me as their teacher and coach to see improvement in their skills.
RESOURCES
f Big Questions
Final Rounds Archive
f Big Questions Judge Training
f BIG QUESTIONS LESSON PLAN –Constructing an Argument
f BIG QUESTIONS LESSON PLAN –Refuting an Argument
2024 CHAMPION TALIA ASKENAZI and 2024 FINALIST AHMED AL NUAIMI
From the Tournament Director
The 2024 National Tournament brought us to Greater Des Moines, Iowa, for an incredible week of competition, connection—and, of course, Cornelius! In this commemorative issue of Rostrum, we share highlights from the week and honor our award winners.
Each summer, the tournament serves as a remarkable reminder of how speech and debate empowers young people to become changemakers, advocates, and future leaders in our communities. During the National Awards Assembly, I addressed this year’s senior class and offered them the following charge: “When you speak, or when you sign...I want you to speak as though you are right, but I want you to listen as though you are wrong. I want you to have the audacity to know that you belong in the space that you occupy.”
The skills and confidence unlocked through this activity have a profound impact on students’ lives—a lasting legacy that remains long after their final round of competition is over. As a class of 2000 alum illustrates, “While originally my dream was to make it to the final stage at Nationals, the final stage evolved into something much bigger. My ‘final stage’ became goals such as working to increase access to underserved communities in debate, getting active in politics, publishing my academic research, and getting into law to become an advocate for the public good.”
Thank you to the many coaches, parents, alumni, administrators, volunteers, and supporters who make this activity possible year-round through your tireless efforts. You are the reason students have a platform to share their stories and to change the world.
The National Tournament returns to Greater Des Moines in 2025 as we turn 100 and celebrate the educational value of speech and debate near and far. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
J. Scott Wunn Executive Director
National Speech & Debate Association
Board of Directors ELECTED MEMBERS
Byron R. Arthur
President
Louisiana
David Huston
Vice President
Texas
Adam J. Jacobi
Wisconsin
Renee C. Motter
Colorado
APPOINTED MEMBERS
Jamelle Brown
Kansas
Dr. Alan H. Coverstone
District of Columbia
Sara Gibson
District of Columbia
Erez Kalir
California
Anoop Mishra
Alabama
Wendy Orthman
California
J. Scott Wunn, Publisher
6600 Westown Parkway Suite 270, West Des Moines, IA 50266 | Phone (920) 748-6206 Newsstand Price
To learn more about the Board and for contact information, please visit www.speechanddebate.org/ meet-the-team.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
SILVER LEVEL
Our generous sponsors make the National Tournament possible! Thank you for showing your commitment to fostering excellence in young people through speech and debate activities.
PLATINUM LEVEL GOLD LEVEL
RUBY LEVEL
SAPPHIRE LEVEL
RICHARD BITNER JAMES M. COPELAND
EMERALD LEVEL
DR. MIKE EDMONDS
A. C. ELEY FUND
CARMENDALE FERNANDES FUND
THE RICHARD DAVOUD DONCHIAN FOUNDATION
KYLE AND SHARON KRAUSE FAMILY FOUNDATION
IOWA HIGH SCHOOL SPEECH ASSOCIATION
THE JEPS FOUNDATION
VICTOR JIH
ADAM AND ASHLEY JOHNSON
LANGGIN VENTURES, LLC
TOM AND VICKI ROLLINS JOE AND PAM WYCOFF
HAROLD C. KELLER FUND
MCCARTHEY FAMILY FOUNDATION
HARLAND B. MITCHELL FUND
LANNY D. AND B. J. NAEGELIN FUND
DONUS AND LOVILA ROBERTS
SANDRA SILVERS FUND
RICHARD B. SODIKOW FUND
BOB AND SALLI STOCKTON
WILLIAM WOODS TATE, JR., FUND
TINA WANG FUND
Rit as Cantina , ANKENY
SUNDAY
Tournament Registration and Expo
The Iowa Events Center hosted teams from around the world for registration, the National Tournament Expo, and conversations about issues of inclusion in the speech and debate community at the Coaches’
Caucuses and various interest group meetings. At the NSDA Store, attendees queued up to snag Cornelius, the stuffed corn plushie and viral sensation, while the life-sized version greeted attendees.
In June, the NSDA celebrated pride in our community, in our inclusivity, and in our equity practices. We hope wherever you are celebrating, you are in a place where your PRIDE can shine! www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkH7uc4GBK4
District Leadership Reception and Awards Ceremony
At the 2024 District Leadership Reception and Awards Ceremony, the Ralph E. Carey Award for Distinguished Career Service was awarded to Jennifer Jerome from the Nebraska District. Kim Lenger from the Heart of America District received the Chair of the Year award. David Yastremski from the New Jersey District was recognized for Best Chair Communications. Scott Caron from the New England District was named Best New Chair. Other district chairs from across the country received Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards for their outstanding leadership.
Chair of the Year
Kim Lenger Heart of America District
Ralph E. Carey Award
Jennifer Jerome Nebraska District
Best Chair Communications
David Yastremski New Jersey District
Best New Chair
Scott Caron New England District
Hall of Fame Event
We held a special gathering for Hall of Fame members Sunday evening at the Hilton. This year, the NSDA proudly inducted Carol Biel from Indiana, Brian Eanes from Texas, Adam Jacobi from Wisconsin, Renee Motter from Colorado, Steve Schappaugh from Iowa, Demond Wilson from Texas, and David Yastremski from New Jersey.
For more photos and bios of Hall of Fame members, visit www.speechanddebate.org/ hall-of-fame
Carol Biel
Brian Eanes
Adam Jacobi
Steve Schappaugh
Demond Wilson
David Yastremski
Antoun Nabhan, speaking on behalf of inductee Carol Biel
Renee Motter
Pam Cady Wycoff, NSDA Board President
MONDAY
Competition Begins
More than 5,200 high school students excitedly began preliminary rounds of competition in 15 main events: Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Big Questions Debate, World Schools Debate, Congressional Debate – House, Congressional Debate – Senate, Original Oratory, United States Extemp, International Extemp, Informative Speaking, Humorous Interp, Dramatic Interp, Duo Interp, and Program Oral Interp.
Get ready, get set, and warm up with Nats24 competitors as they prepare for competition! www.instagram.com/p/C8XFeMBhuoR
TUESDAY
First Breaks
Tuesday afternoon we learned which high school students would advance to the first outrounds, and in the evening we announced the semifinalists in the Senate, quarterfinalists in the House, and competitors headed to round nine in the other main events.
Registration
Middle school registration began Tuesday evening and ran concurrently with supplemental-only high school registration. Every member high school was able to enter up to two students to compete in supplemental events at Nationals, and nearly 900 students joined us for supplemental-only competition.
www.instagram.com/p/ C8ZcWhqPzbM
WEDNESDAY
High School Main Event Late Eliminations and More Competition Begins
The Middle School National Tournament kicked off with round one. Students competed in World Schools, Policy, LincolnDouglas, Public Forum, Congressional Debate, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Program Oral Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking, Storytelling, Poetry, Original Oratory, Informative, Prose, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Impromptu, and Declamation.
High school main event elimination rounds continued throughout the day. Meanwhile, many students began supplemental events: Commentary, Expository, Extemporaneous Debate, Impromptu, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Poetry Reading, Prose Reading, and Storytelling. As Wednesday drew to a close, the finalists in the main speech events and the Senate prepared themselves for the biggest event in high school speech and debate: NSDA final rounds.
Recipient
Recipient Anthony Bolden
THURSDAY
Final Rounds Begin, Supplemental Competition Continues
Middle school competition and high school debate elims continued while supplemental event outrounds commenced. Throughout the day, finalists in the Senate, Informative Speaking, and interpretation events captivated live and virtual audiences with their performances. Competition paused for the Donus D. Roberts Diamond Assembly, presented by Colorado College, as the NSDA celebrated coaches for their dedication to speech and debate activities. Carrie Spina of Tusky Valley High School received the Frank Sferra Director’s Commendation. We honored High School Coach of the Year Kerry Konda, High School Assistant Coach of the Year Ashley Schulz, High School New Coach of the Year Jerenisha Funchess, and High School Administrator of the Year Holly Williams. The recipients of the 2024 Lifetime Service Award were outgoing Board President Pam Cady Wycoff and Vice President Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr. Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann returned to his hometown to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The NSDA dedicated the 2024 and 2025 National Tournament Final Round Stages in honor of Hall of Fame member and long-time emcee Timothy Sheaff: www.vimeo.com/970142231/0606ad922e?share=copy
Timothy Sheaff
Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr. with Activating Equity Award
Ben Silbermann, Lifetime Achievement Award
The Sheaff Family
FRIDAY
Final Rounds and National Awards Assembly
High school orators, extempers, and debaters took the main stage on Friday to wrap up the last day of competition. The National Congress convened its final session in the House, while the final rounds of supplemental events unfolded throughout the day as students showcased their skills and competed for
View the 2024 award ceremonies and final round performances with the livestream archive! www.speechanddebate.org/ nationals-2024-livestream-archive
prestigious awards and scholarships. Middle school final rounds began and we named and recognized our champions. The National Awards Assembly marked the end of an outstanding week of intense competition and celebration of speech and debate activities!
We recieved a special message from a notable NSDA alum! www.youtube.com/ watch?v=18lNlRIIRho
The NSDA was honored to welcome VIP judges for the Nats24 final rounds, including Megan L. Srinivas and Megan Jones, lowa state representatives and NSDA alums (top); Ari Simon, NSDA alum and president of Tambourine, and Ben Silbermann, NSDA alum and Pinterest co-founder (middle); Jennifer Konfrst, lowa state representative, and Ginger Gonzaga, NSDA alum and actress (bottom).
Oprah Winfrey
WILLIAM WOODS TATE, JR.,
National Student of the Year
Six finalists participated in an interview process with the national panel of judges who selected the 2024 William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year, one of the most honorable and renowned student awards presented by the National Speech & Debate Association.
Beneyam Hassen, representing the Rushmore District, was named the William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year and was awarded a $3,500 scholarship from Richard Bitner in memory of Bob Stockton. Beneyam will represent the NSDA throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Learn more about Beneyam in the 2024 November/December Rostrum!
The first and second runners-up were Anika Parthiban, representing the New Jersey District, and Esther Oyetunji, representing the Florida Manatee District, receiving $2, 000 to $1,500 scholarships, respectively. The third-runners up, each receiving a $1,000 scholarship, included Hannah Childress, representing the Georgia Southern Peach District, Arik Karim, representing the Florida Oceanfront District, and Breanna Wollman , representing the Northern South Dakota District.
2024 William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year
Beneyam Hassen Rushmore District
(below, left to right) Hannah Childress, Arik Karim, Esther Oyetunji, Anika Parthiban, and Breanna Wollman
Each NSDA district has the opportunity to name a District Student of the Year. Coaches may nominate a graduating senior who best represents the tenets of the Association’s Code of Honor. Each year, the top students who win the district award are selected as finalists for the William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year award.
POWERFUL PERFORMANCES
FIRST SOY SIBLINGS! Anika Parthiban is the younger sister of Akshat Parthiban, 2021 SOY finalist.
REPEAT FINALISTS!
These 21 exceptional performers are marked with a star (Ì) on the following pages.
Ì SASHANK BALUSU
2024 Congress – House (2022: HSE)
Ì JAIMEE CANALEJO
2024 Humorous Interp (2023: HI)
Ì BRANDON CHENG
2024 International Extemp (2023: EXC)
Ì KARENA CHRISTENSON
2024 Informative Speaking (2023: INF)
Ì ISAIAH CRAIG
2024 Duo Interp (2023: DUO)
Ì ELEANOR CULLOTON
2024 Informative Speaking (2023: INF)
Ì ABIGAIL EGBUJOR
2024 Dramatic Interp (2023: PRO)
Ì GARRETT FLACK
2024 Congress – Senate (2023: SEN)
Ì ELIAS GOSS
2024 Duo Interp (2023: DUO, 2022: DUO)
Ì ELIJAH GOSS
2024 Duo Interp (2023: DUO, 2022: DUO)
Ì GEORGE MATTHEW GUTIERREZ
2024 Humorous Interp (2023: STO)
Ì BEN HODGES
2024 Public Forum (2023: PF)
Ì GRANT KOZISEK
2024 Storytelling (2023: EXP)
Ì FADHIL LAWAL
2024 Congress – House (2022: HSE)
Ì MFAZ MOHAMED ALI
2024 Original Oratory (2023: OO, 2022: HI)
Ì SANYU MWASSA
2024 Duo Interp (2023: DI)
Ì ESTHER OYETUNJI
2024 Original Oratory (2023: OO, 2022: OO)
Ì ADRIANNA RODRIGUEZ
2024 Dramatic Interp (2023: DUO, 2022: DUO)
Ì ISABELLA ROYER
2024 Program Oral Interp (2023: POI)
Ì SOLEMEI SCAMARONI
2024 Original Oratory (2022: OO)
Ì ROHIT VAKKALAGADDA
2024 International Extemp (2023: IX)
Your team is invited to join fellow speech and debate students across the nation for a variety of FREE , after-school, synchronous and asynchronous online practice sessions through our Springboard Series!
•
NON-MEMBERS WELCOME
• NSDA membership is not required!
The Julia Burke Foundation was established in memory of Julia Burke, a young woman of substance with a passion for debate. We are proud to partner with The Julia Burke Foundation to offer these opportunities in Julia’s memory.
Access the schedule and learn more:
www. speechanddebate.org/springboard-series
2024
Four-Time Competitors
Listed in alphabetical order by last name
Kaden Alibhai Greenhill School, TX
Ashley Andrade Middle College HS, CA
Anvika Annyapu Vel Phillips Memorial HS, WI
Nicollette Arabie Buffalo HS, TX
Lillian Ardis Salina South HS, KS
Jonah Astrup O’Gorman HS, SD
Maddie Augustine Shawnee Mission South HS, KS
Adrian Baek Redlands HS, CA
Emma Baldwin Loveland HS, CO
Abbey Ball Gloria Deo Academy, MO
CeCe Bedore Moorhead HS, MN
Carley Bell Maize South HS, KS
Patrick Blomberg Catholic Memorial School, MA
Shawn Boehmer Mitchell HS, SD
Helinna Bontrager Manhattan HS, KS
Nicholas Boor Holy Trinity Catholic HS, TX
Nicolas Brenneman-Ochoa Bethany Christian HS, IN
Sloane Buckwalter Andover HS, KS
Taylor Burris The Potomac School, VA
Skyler Burrus American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach, FL
Carly Callen Gloria Deo Academy, MO
Ian Candy Brandon Valley HS, SD
Amy Cao Ridge HS, NJ
Emily Caravello Prospect HS, IL
Brendon Chen Taipei American School, Taiwan
Sam Chen Boston Latin School, MA
Zachary Chen Boston Latin School, MA
Mason Cheng American Heritage School - Broward, FL
Hannah Childress Valdosta HS, GA
Lillian Cole Broken Arrow HS, OK
John Cooper Tuloso Midway HS, TX
Sabdy Cordon West Career And Technical Academy, NV
Catherine Covarrubiaz Tuloso Midway HS, TX
Delaney Craig Munster HS, IN
Claire Curran Brebeuf Jesuit Prep, IN
Sara Davis St. Mary’s HS, OR
Olivia Declercq Whitmer HS, OH
Maggie Dick West Fargo Horace HS, ND
Ethan Dickinson Brentwood Academy, TN
Christopher Dunn Union HS, OK
Katie Eanes Ronald Reagan HS, TX
Kate Eckert Seaman HS, KS
Eric Eubank Crescenta Valley HS, CA
Graeme Evans The Potomac School, VA
Dawson Fantin Rock Springs HS, WY
Kennedy Farrier De Soto HS, KS
Jackie Fassbender Youth Initiative HS, WI
Luke Favorite Los Alamos HS, NM
Jaden Fitzpatrick Thompson Valley HS, CO
Kathryn Fitzpatrick Johnston HS, IA
Aidan Foust Olathe East HS, KS
Amulya Ganta Midland Legacy HS, TX
Angel Garcia University HS, IL
Tagan Garcia University Schools, CO
Gunnar Geiken Lennox HS, SD
Ella Goodman Cheyenne East HS, WY
Owen Grossman New West Charter School, CA
Indiana Grotheer Pittsburg HS, KS
Savannah Grotheer Pittsburg HS, KS
Tyler Grove Big Spring HS, TX
Reema Guda Millard North HS, NE
Jenisha Gurung Washington HS, SD
Evan Guyer Flintridge Prep, CA
Kennedy Hack-Juman American Heritage School - Broward, FL
Nilufer Mistry-Sheasby Harvard-Westlake School, CA
Nadir Mohamed West Fargo Horace HS, ND
Therese Mosmeyer Holy Trinity Catholic HS, TX
Mirabai Munton Plano Senior HS, TX
Shiv Nagajothi Jackson HS, OH
Alecxandra Naungayan Chiawana HS, WA
Olivia Nelson Lincoln Southeast HS, NE
Ruby Ortega Mt. SAC Early College Academy, CA
Esther Oyetunji American Heritage School - Broward, FL
Anika Parthiban Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School, NJ
Nandini Patel Westmoore HS, OK
Sruti Peddi BASIS Scottsdale HS, AZ
Theodore Peebles La Salle College HS, PA
Garima Penumechchu Oak Ridge HS, CA
John Perkins Blue Valley HS, KS
Trey Pope Riverfield Country Day School, OK
Krteyu Ramanathan Riverside HS, SC
Abdiel Ramirez Advanced Learning Academy, CA
Jorge Ramos Cajon HS, CA
Rhea Rastogi LAMP HS, AL
Alexander Raza Union HS, OK
Griffin Reiff Washburn Rural HS, KS
Maya Rivera Del Valle HS, TX
Charlie Rubin Clayton HS, MO
Nicholas Serve Delta HS, CO
Alexandra Sexton Silver Lake HS, KS
Drake Sexton Silver Lake HS, KS
Katherine Shao Mercer Island HS, WA
Mary Sharp Springfield Catholic HS, MO
Natalee Shipley Francis Howell Central HS, MO
Ellyott Siffring Resurrection Christian School, CO
Elias Sikavitsas Norman North HS, OK
Oakley Simons Cheyenne East HS, WY
Cameron Simper Green Canyon HS, UT
Isabella Smith Mercer Area HS, PA
William Spatz Union HS, OK
Jordan Spencer Hillcrest HS, ID
Cody Spurlock Nickerson HS, KS
Abby Stowe Kickapoo HS, MO
Siddharth Sudhakar Nova HS, FL
Elaine Suh Lincoln East HS, NE
Spencer Swickle American Heritage School - Broward, FL
Cameron Taylor Bozeman HS, MT
Griffin Terras West Fargo Horace HS, ND
Rhea Thakkar Lake Mary Prep, FL
Joshua Thompson Cheyenne East HS, WY
Madison Troup Olathe East HS, KS
Sienna Vaughn Flintridge Prep, CA
Preston Vicenzi Newton HS, KS
Lucy Walker Watertown HS, SD
Annika Walla Palisade HS, CO
Tinghan Wang Acton-Boxborough Regional HS, MA
Maeve Watercutter Centerville HS, OH
Grace Wei Cottonwood Classical Prep, NM
Charles White Topeka West HS, KS
Joshua Whitmire DSST Cedar HS, CO
Lars Anthony Wolf Richwoods HS, IL
Jude Wolfe Bozeman HS, MT
Breanna Wollman Aberdeen Central HS, SD
Stella Wu Taipei American School, Taiwan
Derrick Yang Taipei American School, Taiwan
Daniel Zhao Flintridge Prep, CA
For tournament history and additional results, visit www.speechanddebate.org/ nationals-history
RICHARD B. SODIKOW
Policy Debate
presented by University of Iowa Debate
Co-Champions – Rohan Lingam and Surya Krishnapillai
Co-Champions – Shae McInnis and Andrew Huang
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Aaron Langerman, Tyler Vergho, Ani Prabhu, and Adarsh Hiremath
CLOSEOUT CHAMPS! Both Policy finalist teams are from the same school, making them co-champions.
3rd Place – Sophie Racy and Connor Brown
Lawrence Free State High School, Kansas
Coached by Kelly Thompson and Michael Shelton
4th Place – Kaden Carr and Venkata Danush Gade
Rock Hill High School, Texas
Coached by Jack Loeb and Josh Smith
5th Place – Sophia Leonard and Lucy Pace
Shawnee Mission East High School, Kansas
Coached by Trey Witt, Jacob Wilkus, and Owen Williams
6th Place – Nicole Mui and Calista Shih
Leland High School, California
Coached by Michaela Northrop, Conner Shih, and Hannah Lee
Policy Debate Top Speakers
presented by the NSDA
Phyllis Flory Barton Trophy
1st Place – Sophia Leonard
Shawnee Mission East High School, Kansas
Coached by Trey Witt, Jacob Wilkus, and Owen Williams
2nd Place – Arnav Aggarwal
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Aaron Langerman, Tyler Vergho, Ani Prabhu, and Adarsh Hiremath
3rd Place – Arthur Qin
Peninsula High School, California
Coached by Scott Wheeler
4th Place – Mofoluwa Olagadeyo
Science Park High School, New Jersey
Coached by Jonathan Alston and Temitope Ogundare
5th Place – Andrew Wen
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Aaron Langerman, Tyler Vergho, Ani Prabhu, and Adarsh Hiremath
6th Place – Jimmy O’Connell
The Pembroke Hill School, Missouri
Coached by Parker Hopkins, Jaggard Williams, Alicia Stout, and Kristen Stout
Harland B. Mitchell Trophy
The national champion Policy Debate team also receives the Harland B. Mitchell Trophy, named after the Association’s legendary debate coach.
Public Forum Debate
presented by the NSDA
Champions – William Brown and Ben Hodges Ì
Durham Academy, North Carolina
Coached by Crawford Leavoy, Rachel Mauchline, Elliott Beamer, Raiyan Choudhury, and Anisha Musti
2nd Place – Arrman Kapoor and Anuj Lohtia
Plano West Senior High School, Texas
Coached by Reggie Chapman, Meghan Clark, Satvik Mahendra, and Dave Huston
3rd Place – Emily Hua and Igen Nyawanda
Brookings, South Dakota
Coached by Sally Pies and Katie Jacobs
4th Place – Ashna Gandhi and Arianna Desai
Dougherty Valley High School, California
Coached by Rohit Srinivas and Aleisha Readye
5th Place – Michael Hansen and Alex Huang
Durham Academy, North Carolina
Coached by Crawford Leavoy, Rachel Mauchline, Elliott Beamer, Raiyan Choudhury, and Anisha Musti
6th Place – Ezekiel Ehrenberg and Alex Calder
Delbarton School, New Jersey
Coached by Noah Mengisteab, Zach Dyar, Brooke Blanton, and Mary Gormley
Lincoln-Douglas Top Speakers
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
presented by the NSDA
Champion – Calista Woo
Mountain View High School, California
Coached by Julie Herman
2nd Place – Anik Chobe
Archbishop Mitty High School, California
Coached by Mark Woodhead and Karen Cruz
3rd Place – Kashi Tuteja
Palo Alto High School, California
Coached by Adrian Youngquist, YuYu Yuan, and Kyle Hietala
4th Place – Abhishek Rao
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Matt DeLateur
5th Place – Harris Layson
Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida
Coached by Nathan Johnston, Rose Larson, and John Sims
6th Place – Rebecca Liu
Cary Academy, North Carolina
Coached by RJ Pellicciotta, Paxton
Sheppard, Brett Fortier, Caleb Horowitz, and Willie Warren
presented by the Tina Wang Memorial Scholarship & Charitable Foundation
Dale Lauder McCall Trophy
1st Place – Timothy Jiang
Brophy College Prep, Arizona
Coached by Maanik Chotalla
2nd Place – Andrew Brandt
Isidore Newman School, Louisiana
Coached by Christopher Vincent, Anthony Berryhill, and Bennett Dombcik
3rd Place – Eshan Velidandla
Leland High School, California
Coached by Chris Wardner
4th Place – Max Zukerman
Solon High School, Ohio
Coached by Trina Castro and Matt Hill
5th Place – Derek Han
Cary Academy, North Carolina
Coached by RJ Pellicciotta, Brett Fortier, Caleb Horowitz, and Willie Warren
6th Place – Abhishek Rao
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Matt DeLateur
Big Questions Debate
presented by the John Templeton Foundation
Champion – Talia Askenazi
Arlington High School, Massachusetts
Coached by Donald Broussard
2nd Place – Ahmed Al Nuaimi
Tascosa High School, Texas
Coached by Ryan Lovell and Heather Soltero
Semifinalist – Dominick Lawson
Belton High School, Missouri
Coached by Steven Ellis, Amber Larkey, and Chris Brocker
Semifinalist – Avery Zhang
The Overlake School, Washington
Coached by Robin Monteith and Forrest Williams
Lincoln-Douglas Debate scholarships presented by Victor Jih
LAST BUT NOT LEAST! Both LD finalists qualified to Nats24 during the Last-Chance Qualifier Tournament.
REP. BARBARA JORDAN Congressional Debate – House presented by the NSDA
Champion – Fadhil Lawal Ì
Seven Lakes High School, Texas
Coached by Bryce Piotrowski and Calen Cabler
2nd Place – Jordan Melamed
American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, Florida
Coached by Bo Lint, PJ Samorian, and ErinLynn Pritchard
3rd Place – Rhys Adams
Milton Academy, Massachusetts
Coached by Scott Caron and Lindsay Donovan
4th Place – Sashank Balusu Ì
Archbishop Mitty, California
Coached by Mark Woodhead and Karen Cruz
5th Place – Samuel Berlin Hawken, Ohio
Coached by David Childree and Bob Shurtz
6th Place – Ryon Jemail
American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, Florida
Coached by Bo Lint, PJ Samorian, and ErinLynn Pritchard
Top Presiding Officer (House)
Jordan Melamed
American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, FL
Coached by Bo Lint, PJ Samorian, and ErinLynn Pritchard
Leadership Bowl (House)
Sashank Balusu Ì
Archbishop Mitty High School, CA
Coached by Mark Woodhead and Karen Cruz
Top Presiding Officer (Senate)
Garrett Flack Ì
Blue Springs South High School, MO
Coached by Marc Baney
Leadership Bowl (Senate)
Adrian Baek
Redlands High School, CA
Coached by Lea Mulan Clark, Quest Sandel, and Joseph Maucieri
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR Congressional Debate – Senate presented by the NSDA
Champion – Arnav Misra Miramonte High School, California
Coached by Kristen Plant
2nd Place – Garrett Flack Ì
Blue Springs South High School, Missouri
Coached by Marc Baney
3rd Place – Idara Etuks
Jordan High School, Texas
Coached by Eli Cook and Jennifer Tang
4th Place – Swathi Bodduluri
Pennsbury High School, Pennsylvania
Coached by Chris Berdnik, Diane Moran, and Elesa Knowles
5th Place – Hau Lam Lung
Monte Vista High School, California
Coached by David Matley
6th Place – Cristopher Melendez
Spring Woods High School, Texas
Coached by Victoria Beard
CARMENDALE FERNANDES
United States
Extemporaneous Speaking
presented by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Champion – Téa Shouldice
Half Hollow Hills High School East, New York
Coached by Melinda McCormack
2nd Place – Brayson Holmes
Clark High School, Nevada
Coached by Elizabeth Szirbik
3rd Place – Saathvik Kannan
Columbia-Hickman High School, Missouri
Coached by Danielle Johnson and Kandi King
4th Place – Isabella Razdan
Lincoln East High School, Nebraska
Coached by Nick Herink and Elle Barts
5th Place – Evelyn Tsoi
Arcadia High School, California
Coached by Ashley Novak
6th Place – Ella Witalec
Laurel School, Ohio
Coached by Rachel Rothschild, Dev Ahuja, and Rich Kawolics
A. C. ELEY
International Extemporaneous Speaking
presented by the Council on Foreign Relations
Champion – Anthony Babu
Concord Carlisle High School, Massachusetts
Coached by Tim Averill and Shannon Babu
ROOKIE!
2nd Place – Rohit Vakkalagadda Ì
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Dr. DeeDee Sullivan
3rd Place – Brandon Cheng Ì
Flintridge Preparatory, California
Coached by Nicole Dalton and Maggie Woodard
4th Place – Daniel Rupawalla
Tompkins High School, Texas
Coached by Rogeio Rios and Meaghan West
5th Place – Ethem Gulcu
Monte Vista, California
Coached by David Matley
6th Place – Maximilian Guo
BASIS Silicon Valley, California
Coached by Steven Leal and Jennifer Cho
Informative Speaking
presented by Truman State University
Champion – Sierra Gautreaux
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, Louisiana
Coached by Jacob Leger and Brittany Turner
2nd Place – Eleanor Culloton Ì
Moorhead High School, Minnesota
Coached by Andrew Tichy and the Moorhead Coaching Staff
3rd Place – Lindsay Sieja
George Washington High School, Colorado
Coached by Maryrose Kohan, Devin Sarno, and Miles Owens
4th Place – Karena Christenson Ì
Moorhead High School, Minnesota
Coached by Andrew Tichy, Rebecca Meyer-Larson, and the Moorhead Coaching Staff
5th Place – Nandini Patel
Westmoore High School, Oklahoma
Coached by Sean Gutteridge, Cecilia Alali, and Brianna Lemaster
6th Place – Siyanne Redda
Washington High School, South Dakota
Coached by Michelle McIntyre
The six finalists in INFO are recipients of the Making the Stage scholarship provided by Joe and Pam Wycoff
REMARKABLE
Anthony clinched the title of 2024 IX champion as a novice!
THE CIRCLE OF CHAMPIONS REPRESENTS THE BEST OF THE BEST IN OUR ACTIVITY. Congratulations to our 2024 National Champions!
The National Speech & Debate Tournament marks the capstone of speech and debate activities for more than 130,000 members across the country. To attend, students must qualify in a main event at one of the Association’s 112 district tournaments, the online “Last-Chance Qualifier” tournament, through one of our eight international qualifying programs, or be selected by their school to compete in supplemental events. The student competitors represent the best and brightest young people across the United States and the globe.
The National Debate & Speech Tournament has been held across the country since 1931, and today is the largest academic competition in the world. This year, 6,119 high school students competed in a week-long competition to determine the most prestigious title in high school academics: national champion.
Humorous Interpretation
presented by Advantage Communications
Champion – George Matthew Gutierrez Ì
Harlingen High School South, Texas
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
2nd Place – Kate Nidome
Archbishop Mitty High School, California
Coached by Danielle Williams Nidome and Kate Caputo
3rd Place – Jaimee Canalejo Ì
American Heritage Broward High School, Florida
Coached by Joele Denis and Ryan Levesque
4th Place – Olivia Nelson
Lincoln Southeast High School, Nebraska
Coached by Tommy Bender, Madison Hilbert, and Katie Frankforter
5th Place – Noah Martinez
James Logan High School, California
Coached by Justin Kurup and Dr.Tommie Lindsey Jr.
6th Place – Cat-Tam Huynh
Redlands High School, California
Coached by Lea Mulan Clark, Cat-Minh Huynh, and Amber Justmann
LANNY D. AND B. J. NAEGELIN
Dramatic Interpretation
presented by Simpson College
Champion – Karla Rivera
Harlingen High School South, Texas
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
2nd Place – Nusrat Amin
Lincoln East High School, Nebraska
Coached by Nick Herink and Elle Barts
3rd Place – Adrianna Rodriguez Ì
Harlingen High School South, Texas
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
4th Place – Trinity Dugar
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, Louisiana
Coached by Jacob Leger and Brittany Turner
5th Place – Claudia Colina
Ransom Everglades, Florida
Coached by Kate Hamm and Justinmar Perez
6th Place – Abigail Egbujor Ì
Alief Elsik High School, Texas
Coached by Heath Martin
DR. TOMMIE LINDSEY, JR. Duo
Interpretation
presented by Colorado College
Champions – Sanyu Mwassa Ì and Mariam Elias-Danjuma
White Bear Lake Area High School, Minnesota
Coached by Anita Ukpokolo and the White Bear Lake Coaching Staff
2nd Place – Katie Hughes and Jayden Brown
Archbishop Mitty High School, California
Coached by Karen Cruz, Benjamin Cruz, and John Harris
3rd Place – Aquilla Dunn and Isaiah Craig Ì
Apple Valley High School, Minnesota
Coached by Daniel Hodges
4th Place – Elias Goss Ì and Elijah Goss Ì
Denver East High School, Colorado
Coached by Noah Kaplan, Katie Hellrung, and Nawledge Brewington
5th Place – Neal Rajvansh and Monisha Suresh
Eastview High School, Minnesota
Coached by Brady Beckman
6th Place – Mira Lehman and Sarah Lehman
La Jolla High School, California
Coached by Mark Schmidt
TWIN TAKEOVER! Two sets of twins competed in the final round, the Goss twins and the Lehman twins.
HARLINGEN HIGHLIGHTS! Harlingen High School South had four champions this year including HI, DI, STO, and PRO!
Program Oral Interpretation
presented by Quaker Bakery
Champion – Victory Okoroji
Hastings High School, Texas
Coached by Larrisha “Birdie” McDonnough
2nd Place – Isabella Royer Ì
San Angelo Central, Texas
Coached by Coby Evers
3rd Place – Nasim Aleem
Jersey Village High School, Texas
Coached by Ian Etheridge and Lavontae Morrow
4th Place – Mariam Kolley
Western High School, Florida
Coached by Brian Lynn and Erica Hansinger
5th Place – Leif Carlson
Moorhead High School, Minnesota
Coached by Rebecca Meyer-Larson, Izzie Larson, Finn Larson and the Moorhead Coaching Staff
6th Place – Aniya Bostick
Apple Valley High School, Minnesota
Coached by Daniel Hodges and Uzo Ngwu
JOE AND PAM WYCOFF Original Oratory
presented by the Red Hill Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation Auxiliary
Champion – Esther Oyetunji Ì
American Heritage Broward High School, Florida
Coached by Ryan Levesque and Joele Denis
THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER! Esther is a three-time Original Oratory champion!
2nd Place – Solemei Scamaroni Ì
The Village High School, Texas
Coached by Heather Huffman and Rob Gale
3rd Place – Mfaz Mohamed Ali Ì
Apple Valley High School, Minnesota
Coached by Scott Voss and Halima Badri
4th Place – Carlo Polisena Hawken School, Ohio
Coached by Susan McGraw, Lynn Beeson, and Bob Shurtz
5th Place – Angad Singh
Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
Coached by Aaron Langerman
6th Place – Hoda Husen
Apple Valley High School, Minnesota
Coached by Scott Voss
The six finalists in OO are recipients of the Making The Stage scholarship provided by Joe and Pam Wycoff
CORNELIUS CRAZE! The a-maize-ing Nats24 mascot kept popping up all over the tournament!
World Schools Debate Invitational
presented by Simpson College
Champions – OZARK RED
(listed below, left to right)
Kwaku Asare-Bawuah
Quinn Smith
August Kleiboeker
Imani Lwali
Trisha Tewari
Coached by Karissa Talty
2nd Place – NEW YORK CITY CRIMSON
Adhyatman Agarwala
William Carragher
Kai-Shan Kwek-Rupp
Luke McGibbon
Mark Quaglia
Coached by Eric DiMichele
Semifinalists – GOLDEN DESERT YELLOW
Jonathan Adler
Sabdy Cordon
Daniel Rodriguez
Camryn Scanson
Nola Zeppenfeld
Coached by Julie Roos and Christopher Rogers
Semifinalists – NORTHWEST INDIANA GOLD
Sophia Worden
Emily Fleischhacker
Noah Shafer
Stanley Liew
Chris Chen
Coached by Jeremy Starkweather, Aaron Drew, and Anekah Fish
The winning World Schools Debate team receives the Dr. Alfred “Tuna” Snider Championship Plaque, presented by Tom Rollins
World Schools Debate
Top
Speakers
presented by Simpson College
Robert Shrum Award
1st Place – Caridee Chau
China Gold
Coached by David Peterson
2nd Place – Soren Jensen
West Los Angeles Violet
Coached by Brandon Batham
3rd Place – Madeline Mitchell
Central Texas Silver
Coached by Aly Mithani
4th Place – Jonaki Bose
Lone Star Gold
Coached by Aaron Timmons and Cynthia Timmons
5th Place – Nilufer Mistry-Sheasby
West Los Angeles Crimson
Coached by Michael Bietz
6th Place – Israel Mattocks
Carolina East Blue
Coached by Rachel Mauchline
www.speechanddebate.org/
Impromptu
presented by Bob and Salli Stockton
Champion – Madeline White
Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Pennsylvania
Coached by Danielle Greenberg and Jill Dougherty
2nd Place – Ellyott Siffring
Resurrection Christian School, Colorado
Coached by Levi Smith
3rd Place – Aly Johnson
Willmar Senior High School, Minnesota
Coached by Andrew Tupa, Chris Laue, and Sarah Swedburg
4th Place – Siddharth Sudhakar
Nova High School, Florida
Coached by Jose Denis
5th Place – Tyler Breeden
Canyon Springs High School, Nevada
Coached by Julie Roos and Chris Rogers
6th Place – Kate Njeru
Seven Lakes High School, Texas
Coached by Bryce Piotrowski and Calen Cabler
Storytelling
presented by Bob and Salli Stockton
Champion – Sadie Jensen
Harlingen High School South, Texas
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
2nd Place – Mateo Pacheco
George Washington High School, Colorado
Coached by Maryrose Kohan, Devin Sarno, and Miles Owens
3rd Place – Sarah Walsh
Summit High School, New Jersey
Coached by Anne Poyner
4th Place – Grant Kozisek Ì
Blue Valley High School, Kansas
Coached by Chris Riffer
5th Place – Audrey Shepard
Raymore-Peculiar High School, Missouri
Coached by Jayme Overstreet and Dane Schnake
6th Place – Katie Mathews
Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida
Coached by Brian McAninch
Poetry Reading
presented by The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men
Champion – Abena Bonsu
Lincoln East High School, Nebraska
Coached by Nick Herink and Elle Barts
2nd Place – Andrew Mayo
Judson High School, Texas
Coached by Larry J. Bailey
3rd Place – Jessica Jackson
Scotus Central Catholic, Nebraska
Coached by Melanie Mimick
4th Place – Korben Ockander
Lincoln East High School, Nebraska
Coached by Nick Herink and Elle Barts
5th Place – Symphanie Williams
Clear Creek High School, Texas
Coached by Brian Darby
6th Place – Jackson Schreiner
Comanche, Oklahoma
Coached by Kirk Prucha
Prose Reading
presented by
Bob and Salli Stockton
Champion – Sadie Jensen
Harlingen High School South, Texas
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
2nd Place – Amaya Wilson
Northstar Academy High School - Newark, New Jersey
Coached by David Marques
3rd Place – McKinley Rowton
Choctaw Sr High School, Oklahoma
Coached by Maryjane Burton, Alyx
Sabina, Sierra Posada, and Billy Elles
4th Place – Praise Oyekunle
White Bear Lake Area High School, Minnesota
Coached by Anita Ukpokolo and the White Bear Lake Coaching Staff
5th Place – Malakai Yepes
University High School, New Jersey
Coached by Saul Grulon
6th Place – London Monroe
Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, Kansas
Coached by Jamelle and Jaleon Brown
BROTHER RENÉ STERNER
Commentary
presented by Bob and Salli Stockton
Champion – Jonah Downs
Trinity Preparatory School, Florida
Coached by Benjamin Gaddis, Julia Hren, and Quinn McKenzie
2nd Place – Kate Njeru
Seven Lakes High School, Texas
Coached by Bryce Piotrowski and Calen Cabler
3rd Place – Jaden Bills
Rigby High School, Idaho
Coached by Brock Sondrup and Branden Vance
4th Place – Carder Squirrell
Fairview High School, Colorado
Coached by Kristina Getty, Jake Keuhlen, Dot Kellner, and Kyle Quinlan
5th Place – Skyler Burrus
American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, Florida
Coached by Bo Lint, PJ Samorian, and ErinLynn Pritchard
6th Place – Arya Gurumukhi
Plano East Senior High, Texas
Coached by Madi Gackenbach and Miranda Villanueva
Original Spoken Word Poetry
presented by Always Writing 4 U
Champion – Alex Mohr
Louisville High School, Ohio
Coached by Katy Russell and Jake Zartman
2nd Place – Jekhia Ballard
GlenOak High School, Ohio
Coached by Megan Rea, Sam Alhadid, Tom Mosberger, and Lauren Nieporte
3rd Place – Tori Guerin
Helix Charter High School, California
Coached by Gregg Osborn
4th Place – Sophia Vansaghi
Pekin Comm High School, Illinois
Coached by Scott Pyle, Shannon
Sandoval, Al Trumbo, Courtney
Joyce, and Michael Inman
5th Place – Polanges Bonaney
Mesquite High School, Arizona
Coached by Marissa Hart
6th Place – Fathia Fakoya
Alief Elsik High School, Texas
Coached by Heath Martin
SEEING DOUBLE? Sadie is the 2024 champion in both Storytelling and Prose!
Expository
presented by Bob and Salli Stockton
Champion – Sebastian Blanco
Downers Grove South High School, Illinois
Coached by Justin Matkovich, Jan Heiteen, and Elighie Wilson
2nd Place – Tristian Jackson
Grain Valley High, Missouri
Coached by Kelsey Bowers
3rd Place – Erin Ryu
Harvard-Westlake School, California
Coached by Edwin Ramirez and Sarina Wang
4th Place – Veer Roy
American Heritage Broward High School, Florida
Coached by Ryan Levesque and Joele Denis
5th Place – Sophie Chia
Westridge School, California
Coached by Maggie Woodward and Nicole Dalton
6th Place – Isabella Windmiller
Willard High School, Missouri
Coached by Kathy Tobin and Ethan Gambriel
Extemporaneous Debate
presented by Colorado College
Champion – Mason Renner
The Pembroke Hill School, Missouri
Coached by Parker Hopkins, Jaggard Williams, Alicia Stout, Kristen Stout, Graham Revare, Eric Morris, Talyna Morris, and Bobby Phillips
2nd Place – Karthi Gottipati
Palo Alto High School, California
Coached by Isaac Kan, Maya Levine, YuYu Yuan, and Kyle Hietala
3rd Place – Avery Johnson
Columbia-Hickman High School, Missouri
Coached by Lou Kraxberger
4th Place – Anthony Wang
Mercer Island High School, Washington
Coached by David Davis
5th Place – Charlie Rubin
Clayton High School, Missouri
Coached by Kim Zustiak
6th Place – David Lu
Seven Lakes High School, Texas
Coached by Bryce Piotrowski and Calen Cabler
Congressional Legislation Recognition
These students authored the 2024 National Congress legislation
Sanjana Arulkumaran Plano East Senior High School, TX
Anderson Bell Edmond Memorial, OK
Abhishek Bhagat Jordan High School, TX
Sara Biju Westview High School, OR
Haeden Carter Skyview High School, AL
Tanish Chauhan Prosper High School, TX
Karis Chen Bellaire High School, TX
Tyler Crivella Seven Lakes High School, TX
Rishi Dhakshnamoorthy West Broward High School, FL
Catarina Fernandes Elizabeth HS - Frank J. Cicarell Academy, NJ
Samuel Fielding Skyline Senior High School, ID
Apollo Grimes Stratford Preparatory Blackford, CA
Arnav Gupta Rock Ridge High School, VA
Rowan Hartley Chesterton Senior High School, IN
Kyara Hernandez-Duarte Elko High School, NV
Jiya Jagani Presentation High School, CA
Jahnavi Kari Ardrey Kell High School, NC
Aditi Khanna Westview High School, OR
Jinho Kim Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, MA
Ethan Mills Colonial High School, FL
Nathan Moldover Natick High School, MA
Zachary Neilson-Papish Pleasantville High School, NY
Nicholas Ostheimer FAU High School, FL
John Otto Springfield Catholic High School, MO
Swathi Padmanabhan Boardman High School, OH
Morgan Rafferty Suncoast Community High School, FL
Husam Ramadan Clovis North High School, CA
Daniel Song East Ridge High School, MN
Aswin Surya Bellarmine College Preparatory, CA
Tyler Travis Plymouth High School, IN
George Ubell Marquette University High School, WI
Caleb Walton Oakwood High School, OH
Jack Watermolen Lincoln Southwest High School, NE
NSDA Board Member Adam Jacobi addresses the Congressional Debate Opening Assembly
President’s Bowls presented by Mr. and Mrs. Donus and Lovila Roberts
Awarded to the students who, according to the judges, won the final round of competition
President’s Bowl Informative Speaking
Sierra Gautreaux
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, LA
Coached by Jacob Leger and Brittany Turner
President’s Bowl United States Extemp
Téa Shouldice
Half Hollow Hills High School East, NY
Coached by Melinda McCormack
President’s Bowl International Extemp
Anthony Babu
Concord Carlisle High School, MA
Coached by Tim Averill and Shannon Babu
Interp Bowls
President’s Bowl Original Oratory
Esther Oyetunji Ì
American Heritage Broward High School, FL
Coached by Ryan Levesque and Joele Denis
Awarded to the students who, according to the judges, won the final round of competition
Interp Bowl Program Oral Interp
Victory Okoroji
Hastings High School, TX
Coached by Larrisha “Birdie” McDonnough
Interp Bowl Humorous Interp
George Matthew Gutierrez Ì
Harlingen High School South, TX
Coached by Eddy Cavazos and John Harper Reynolds
Interp Bowl Dramatic Interp
Nusrat Amin
Lincoln East High School, NE
Coached by Nick Herink and Elle Barts
2023–2024 USA Debate Team
Interp Bowl - Duo Interp presented by Mike Edmonds
Sanyu Mwassa Ì and Mariam Elias-Danjuma
White Bear Lake Area High School, MN
Coached by Anita Ukpokolo and the White Bear Lake Coaching Staff
(left to right, top row) Jonathan Barnes, Westchester Academy For International Studies, TX; Claire Curran, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, IN; Valerie Gu, Milton Academy, MA; Cameron Hong, La Canada High School, CA; Chelsea Hu, Phillips Academy-Andover, MA; and Taite Kirkpatrick, Mount Vernon High School, WA • (bottom row) Alex Lee, Harvard-Westlake School, CA; Sophia Li, Greenhill School, TX; Alexa Murphy, The Masters School, NY; Advika Sadasivan, The Village School, TX; Eshan Velidandla, Leland High School, CA; and Sherry Zhang, Greenhill School, TX
Senator Karl E. Mundt Congress Sweepstakes Trophy
Presented annually to the school that has accumulated the most Congressional Debate participation points
Seven Lakes High School in Texas
Coached by Bryce Piotrowski and Calen Cabler
Students: Rohan Kathuria, Juliana Franco, Fadhil Lawal, and Ishaan Quazi
Bruno E. Jacob Pi Kappa Delta Trophy
Presented annually to the school that has accumulated the greatest number of main event rounds at the National Tournament
The Unger Cup
Peninsula High School in California
Coached by Scott Wheeler
Awarded to the Policy Debate program that has placed the highest cumulatively at five great national debate tournaments
Bozeman High School in Montana
Albert S. Odom Commendation
Presented to the current advisor on record of the school receiving the Bruno E. Jacob / Pi Kappa Delta Trophy
Adam Thane
Bruno E. Jacob Commendation
Presented to any coach of record who has coached more than 50% of the points at the time of winning the Bruno E. Jacob Trophy
Adam Thane
Ted W. Belch Award
Presented to the advisor of the champion Policy Debate Team
Aaron Langerman
Bellarmine College Preparatory California
JUNE 2024-JUNE 2025
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SPEECH AND DEBATE!
We are excited to recognize the positive impact of speech and debate activities on students, schools, and communities. From local celebrations to the National Speech & Debate Tournament, the educational value of speech and debate will be honored near and far from June 2024 to June 2025. In addition to special events and programs, thousands will share personal stories of how speech and debate changed their life on social media using the hashtag #SpeechAndDebate. We hope you will join in the festivities as we remember our past, support our present, and inspire our future.
CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT
Tear out the facing page to use as a poster and look for more resources with tips and ideas for commemorating our 100th anniversary coming soon! www.speechanddebate.org/centennial
Donate to support our next 100 years! You can provide this generation of young people the opportunity to unleash their true potential and change their world. raisedonors.com/speechanddebateorg/next100years
2024 Middle School National Tournament
Presented by the National Geographic Society, Summit Debate, and Advantage Communications
The 2024 Middle School National Tournament was held in person June 18-21, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. Middle School Nationals is an open invitational tournament, and all middle school NSDA members were welcome to compete for a chance to be named a middle school national champion!
Access photos from the 2024 National Speech & Debate Tournament at: www.tinyurl.com/yr332w5r
EXPERIENCE MIDDLE
SCHOOL NATS!
Check out the tournament from the perspective of our competitors in the middle school hype video: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=J94joZnq1o4
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Congressional Debate
1st – Brooke Carlson
Kenston Middle, OH
Coached by Stephan Voudris, Shannon Carlson, and Samuel Berlin
Pam Cady Wycoff Apple Valley High School Minnesota
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ben Silbermann Pinterest Co-Founder
California Alum of Roosevelt High School, Iowa
Pelham Commendation
Byron Arthur The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men Louisiana
James M. Copeland Coach of the Year
Kerry Konda Aberdeen Central High School
South Dakota
High School Assistant Coach of the Year
Ashley Schulz Cheyenne East High School
Wyoming
Middle School Coach of the Year
Adriena Young Toghia Parks Junior High School California
High School Administrator of the Year
Holly Williams Associate Superintendent of Mesa Public Schools Arizona
High School New Coach of the Year
Jerenisha Funchess
Sophie B. Wright Institute of Academic Excellence
Louisiana
Activating Equity Award
Chicago Debates Anthony Bolden, Executive Director Illinois
Diamond Coach Awards
Begin your legacy with the National Speech & Debate Association
Establish your legacy with the causes that matter the most to you.
A bequest in your estate plan (also known as a planned gift) costs nothing today, but provides sustained support to the National Speech & Debate Association for years to come. It is a powerful way to create a lasting impact.
The National Speech & Debate Association is grateful to the members of the 1925 Society for pledging a generous planned gift contribution.
Find our list of current donors at: www.speechanddebate.org/1925-society
Steven Davis Washburn Rural High School Kansas
Eric DiMichele Regis High School New York
Jan Heiteen Downers Grove South High School Illinois
Eighth Diamond
Eighth Diamond Ninth Diamond
Sharon Volpe
Allegheny High School
Sixth Diamond
Gail Nicholas Bob Jones Academy South Carolina
Sixth Diamond
Chris Riffer Blue Valley High School Kansas
Gay Hollis James E. Taylor High School Texas
Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr. James Logan High School California
David Watkins Neosho High School Missouri
Seventh Diamond
Seventh Diamond
Seventh Diamond
2024 Des Moines Area Local Host Committee
Host Steering Committee
Chair: Steve Schappaugh
Tunisia May
Marissa Kuiken
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
not pictured: Spencer Waugh
Jeff Bruning
Full Court Press
Hospitality Representative
2024 Tournament Event Chairs
Matt Good
Kim Lenger
Steve Meadows
Gail Nicholas
Tony Ugalde
Colton Gilbert
Jeff Stutzman
Ameena Amdahl-Mason
Nicole Dalton
Alma Nicholson
Kimberly Bayan-Berlat
Kevin Berlat
Hanh Do
Chase Williams
Julie Roos
Pam McComas
Yatesh Singh
Jo Ball
Denise Raeder-Johnson
Greg Malis
Megan Hagaman
Marc Rischitelli
Senator Charles E. Grassley
2024 Schools of Outstanding Distinction
American Heritage Broward High School, FL
Archbishop Mitty, CA
Bellarmine College Preparatory, CA
Durham Academy, NC
The Hawken School, OH
James Logan High School, CA
Leland High School, CA
Lincoln East High School, NE
Schools of Excellence in Debate
American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, FL
The Blake School, MN
Broken Arrow High School, OK
Brookings High School, SD
Cary Academy, NC
Claremont High School, CA
Delbarton School, NJ
Dougherty Valley High School, CA
Eagan High School, MN
Lake Highland Preparatory School, FL
Lawrence Free State High School, KS
Memorial High School, TX
Miramonte High School, CA
Mountain View High School, CA
Oakwood High School, OH
Palo Alto High School, CA
Peninsula High School, CA
Redlands High School, CA
Rock Hill High School, TX
Shawnee Mission East High School, KS
Schools of Honor in Debate
Ardrey Kell High School, NC
Arizona College Prep High School, AZ
Bellaire High School, TX
Brentwood High School, TN
Brophy College Prep, AZ
Corner Canyon High School, UT
Cupertino High School, CA
George Washington High School, CO
Isidore Newman School, LA
Millburn High School, NJ
Monte Vista High School, CA
Mountain Home High School, ID
Myers Park High School, NC
Paul J. Hagerty High School, FL
Penn High School, IN
Plano East Senior High School, TX
Rigby High School, ID
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, TX
Taipei American School, Taiwan
Washburn Rural High School, KS
www.speechanddebate.org/ nationals-history
Overall
Plano West Senior High School, TX
Seven Lakes High School, TX
Schools of Excellence in Speech
Apple Valley High School, MN
Blue Valley High School, KS
Cheyenne East High School, WY
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, LA
Eastview High School, MN
Flintridge Preparatory, CA
Gabrielino High School, CA
Garland High School, TX
George Washington High School, CO
Harlingen High School South, TX
Lakeville North High School, MN
Lincoln Southeast High School, NE
Millard North High School, NE
Moorhead High School, MN
Munster High School, IN
Plymouth High School, IN
Raymore-Peculiar High School, MO
Riverside High School, SC
San Angelo Central High School, TX
Shrewsbury High School, MA
The Village High School, TX
Tompkins High School, TX
Schools of Honor in Speech
Alief Elsik High School, TX
Arcadia High School, CA
BASIS Scottsdale High School, AZ
BASIS Silicon Valley, CA
Bishop McGuinness Catholic, OK
Cary Academy, NC
Clark High School, NV
Columbia-Hickman High School, MO
Concord Carlisle High School, MA
CSArts - San Gabriel Valley, CA
Denver East High School, CO
Fort Gibson High School, OK
Half Hollow Hills High School East, NY
Hastings High School, TX
Jersey Village High School, TX
La Jolla High School, CA
Laurel School, OH
Monta Vista High School, CA
Monte Vista, High School, CA
Prospect High School, IL
Ransom Everglades High School, FL
Redlands High School, CA
Rowan County Senior High School, KY
Scarsdale High School, NY
Sioux Falls Jefferson High School, SD
Siouxland Christian School, IA
Summit High School, NJ
Washington High School, SD
Western High School, FL
Westmoore High School, OK
American Heritage Broward Middle School, FL Parks Junior High, CA The Village Middle School, TX Find National Tournament award winners and champions from 1931 to 2024!
Westridge School, CA
White Bear Lake Area High School, MN
Willard High School, MO
Woodbury High School, MN
Schools of Excellence in Speech and Debate
Schools of Excellence in Debate Schools of Excellence in Speech
Alice Deal Middle School, DC
Arizona College Prep Middle School, AZ
BASIS Independent Middle, CA
Bob Lanier Middle School, TX
The Harker Middle School, CA
Marist School, GA
New Vistas Center for Education, AZ
Bob Lanier Middle School, TX
Edgewood Middle, CA
Gutierrez Middle School of Arts and Sciences, TX
The Harker Middle School, CA
Mesa Robles School, CA
I decided to include the NSDA in my estate plans because speech and debate is an activity that teaches everything from argumentation and speaking skills to humility and gracefully losing. This activity made me a different and better person, and I want to make sure that students well into the future are afforded the opportunities I was.”
Aarzu Maknojia NSDA ALUM
THE SOCIETY 1925
Begin your legacy with the National Speech & Debate Association Establish your legacy with the causes that matter the most to you.
A bequest in your estate plan (also known as a planned gift) costs nothing today, but provides sustained support to the National Speech & Debate Association for years to come. It is a powerful way to create a lasting impact.
The National Speech & Debate Association is grateful to the members of the 1925 Society for pledging a generous planned gift contribution.
Learn more about the 1925 Society and view our list of current donors at: www.speechanddebate.org/1925-society
Create a free will and make a lasting impact for students across the country.
1. Visit FreeWill.com/NSDA to create a will or revocable living trust.
2. At the “Residuary’’ step, select our organization and designate a specific cause area you want your legacy to support. Your gift can be a percentage of your residuary estate or a fixed amount.
3. Finalize your plans by printing and signing your documents in front of witnesses.
Already included the NSDA in your will? Please fill out this brief form so we can thank you for your generosity. https://tinyurl.com/2jwxun5n
Contact Nicole for more information: nicole@speechanddebate.org
www.speechanddebate.org
Newsstand Price: $9.99 per issue
Member Subscription: $24.99 for 5 issues
Non-Member Subscription: $34.99 for 5 issues
View Oprah’s special message to our Nats24 competitors! www.youtube.com/ watch?v=18lNlRIIRho
