On Nov. 19, the Jefferson High Speech and Debate team sent five competitors to the tournament that took place in East Helena. The tournament was one of two that took place in the state, so the competition was high with the kids facing schools outside of the Class B Division.
In the Speech Categories, there were three participants: Abby Miller, Laci Lemons, and Colin Field who are all juniors. This was the second tournament that the three had attended this season, and the group is already off to a strong start. Miller, who is in her first year of competition, participated in Informative. Out of the 31 entered competitors, Miller took seventh. Field, who is also in his first year of competition, participated in Extemporaneous. Out of the 25 competitors, Field tied for eighth. Lemons, who has been participating in Impromptu, took sixth place out of 34 entries.
On the Debate side of things, the team sent two competitors: Jack Johnson and Quinne Shultz. They competed in the Public Forum event, which is a team debate. Shultz, a senior and Johnson, a junior, took second at the Class B state tournament during last year’s season. This was the duo’s first tournament of the season. And out of the 16 competing Public Forum Team, the duo walked away in second place.
This year the JHS Speech and Debate team has some new leadership with Scott Ferguson and Aubrey Carey taking over the coaching. Carey said that, “I am excited for the season. We have a group of incredibly talented competitors, and I look forward to watching each and every one of them grow, not just as speech and debate competitors, but as individuals. I feel honored and humbled to help coach such a wonderful group of students.”
The group will compete in several more meets before the Divisional tournament in January. Although only five members competed this weekend, there are several other participants who will compete in their respective categories. Be sure to watch for updates of the group of kids during the rest of the season.
