Forensics Speech & Debate Team Compete in State Tournament

Michelle H. Daino
On October 30, five members of the Mount's Forensics Speech & Debate Team competed in the first N.J. National Speech & Debate League tournament of the 2021-2022 season. Hosted by Phillipsburg High School, the team competed virtually against thirteen other schools: Montville, Ridge, Randolph, Phillipsburg, Summit, Oak Knoll, Millburn, Ridgewood, Hunterdon Central, Southern Lehigh HS, Central High, North Star Academy and Delbarton.
 
Lana Abbott, co-moderator/coach, said, "Our team competed remotely at this large hybrid tournament, as opposed to our smaller Paterson Catholic League, as we continue to be cautious with the pandemic. Students submitted a recording of themselves competing in one of two asynchronous challenges: Pro Con Debate or Children's Literature Storytelling. While asynchronous competition is not ideal since the students do love the thrill of competing in-person, pre-recording does offer two bonuses; the opportunity for our team to learn from each other as they view the entries and a chance for the retired Sisters to see our students' performances!"
 
Mount students performed strong with two members "breaking" into the final fourth round where the top six finalists in each category compete for ranking. Emily Abbott '22 finished in 5th place for the Children's Literature Storytelling challenge and Taryn Murphy '23 finished in 2nd place for the Pro Con Debate. We are very proud of all our competitors!
 
Children's Literature Storytelling Challenge:
Emily Abbott '22
Victoria Fekete '24
Akshaya Karanam '24
Melissa Ramirez '24
 
Pro Con Debate Challenge:
Taryn Murphy '23
 
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