At the recent Vermont Debate and Forensic League’s State Forensics Tournament at the Vermont State House, Colchester High School junior Tom Condon took the top spot in the radio announcing competition.
It is Tom’s first year on the team, and he was among the top two competitors from among students representing sixteen schools around the state to advance to the final round in his category.
Forensics, more commonly known as “speech team,” involves competition in a wide variety of events. In the radio category, for example, participants create and deliver a radio broadcast about local or national news, weather, and sports and even include a thirty-second commercial with only thirty minutes of preparation. The impromptu category involves drawing a topic and delivering a two- to three-minute speech with only one minute of advanced preparation. Other categories include original oratory (which involves memorizing and presenting a speech on a controversial issue), extemporaneous (delivering a speech with only thirty minutes of advanced preparation), prose and poetry readings, and so on. There have been a number of state champions from Colchester High School in past years.
In addition to Tom Condon, CHS was represented at the February competition by senior Matt Lucier, who competed in the impromptu category, junior Rob Chase, who competed in the extemporaneous category, sophomore Alex Gardner, who competed in the prose category, and sophomore Peri Kate Navarro, who competed in the poetry category.
And in the March 10 Vermont 2014 Public Forum Debate State Tournament, CHS students Lauren Hutchings and Summer Colley qualified for the May 23–25 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in Chicago, Illinois!
CHS students Lauren Hutchings and Summer Colley with Coach Bob Hall at the Vermont State House on March 10
The NCFL supports US and Canadian public, private, and parochial high school speech and debate activities. Lauren and Summer will compete in five preliminary rounds in front of three judges. The top entries in each event will advance to subsequent rounds until the final elimination round.
Last year, Lauren and Summer qualified for the National Forensics League’s National Speech and Debate Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama—the first time a CHS debate team had participated in the national event.
Fundraising efforts are under way to assist the Summer and Lauren with their participation in the competition; those interested in contributing may contact CHS’s Mark Ellingson at 264-5702.
Very well done, CHS!
For more information, please contact Bob Hall in CHS’s Guidance department.
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