The eleventh annual National Middle School Forensics Tournament was held June 25-27, 2010 at Dowling Catholic High School and the Des Moines Public Schools, and co-sponsored by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and the National Junior Forensic League (NJFL). Attending the tournament were more than 450 students from 45 schools spanning 20 states, and the territory of Saipan. Those students constituted more than 600 entries across a dozen speech and debate events.
Earning School of Excellence awards for holistic squad performance were Sidney Lanier Middle School (Houston, TX), Northwest Junior High School (Coralville, IA) and Clay Middle School (Carmel, IN). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in debate were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Capitol Debate (Woodstock, MD), Kugnus ACTS (Closter, NJ), The Harker School (San Jose, CA), and The Kincaid School (Houston, TX). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in speech events were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Ockerman Middle School (Florence, KY), The Pike School (Andover, MA), Milton Academy (Milton, MA), and Rowan County MS (Morehead, KY).
Champion students in each of the events included:
Policy Debate: Devansh Srivastura and Michael Koo, Capitol Debate, MD
Congressional Debate: Peter Oathout, Sidney Lanier MS, TX
Lincoln Douglas Debate: Naomi Whitney-Hirschmann, St. Louis Park, MN
Public Forum (Co-Champions): Ardash Battu, Arjun Kumar, Claudia Tischler, Shilpa Yarlgadda, The Harker School, CA
Prose: Claire Russell, Milton Academy MS, MA
Poetry: Bridget Kim, Rowan County MS, KY
Humorous Interpretation: Scott Diekema, Northwest Junior HS, IA
Dramatic Interpretation: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Impromptu: Sarah Muse, Milton Academy MS, MA
Extemporaneous Speaking: Gregory Ross, Sidney Lanier
Original Oratory: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Duo Interpretation: Bobby Turnbough & Nicole Hickok, Raymore-Peculiar MS, MO
Declamation: Willow Curry, Sidney Lanier MS, TX
Click here for a full results packet. Next year’s tournament will be held in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned for more information on dates and specific details.
The tournament received generous assistance from Brent Hinkle of The Joy of Tournaments registration and tab room management software.
The NJFL was founded by the National Forensic League in 1995 to extend speech and debate opportunities to students in grades 6-8. Upon enrollment at an NFL member high school, students can convert a fraction of junior merit points earned for speaking activities to high school points toward advanced levels of NFL membership. This creates a great feeder program for high schools, and motivation for students to participate more.
IDEA was established in 1999 to promote mutual understanding and democracy globally by supporting discussion and active citizenship locally. Central to IDEA’s values are tolerance, international cooperation, and freedom of expression. This tournament instills and nurtures in younger students an appreciation for divergent viewpoints and diverse cultures.
