Myers Park High School Speech and Debate Team

2011 – 2012 Season!

mpdebate — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:56:52 +0000

Hey everybody!

It’s that time of the year again to get ready for school and of course, DEBATE!

For those of you who haven’t heard, we should all give last years Co-President, Priyang Shah our congratulations for being Myers Parks FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPION EVER!!! Priyang was the National Champion in Congressional Debate and was also the Best Presiding Officer in his Finals Chamber! Congratulations to Priyang!

There is a small addition to the site this year, coming soon under the ‘Media’ tab there will be multiple “How-To” Guides on how to do specific events. So if you are ever interested in trying a new event then you have access to a simple guide on how to get started!

Wake Forest Sign-Ups are now also up at the ‘Tournament Signup’ tab! Information Sheets/Permission Forms will be coming out soon.

That’s all for now!
Let’s have a great school year and debate season!

~Vijay S.

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS

mikeg593 — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:43:51 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen… your teams for the 2011 NCFL and NFL National Tournaments!

NCFL NATIONALS – May 27-30, Washington, DC

Derrick Flakoll – Extemp Speaking

Patrick Withrow – Extemp Speaking

Isabel Williams – Extemp Speaking

Jay Merritt – Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Lisa Fan – Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Vijay Sadanani – Lincon-Douglas Debate

Mike Griggs – Dramatic Performance

Porter Nenon and Priyang Shah – Public Forum Debate

NFL NATIONALS – June 6-12, Dallas, TX

Mike Griggs and Ashley Thomas – Duo Interpretation

Priyang Shah – Student Congress

Patrick Withrow – Domestic Extemp

Erin Larsen and Sara Lee – Public Forum Debate

Bernadine Pierre – Humorous Interpretation

We’re Going to Texas!!

mikeg593 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:44:35 +0000

On February 26, fifteen Myers Park students traveled to Chase High School in Forest City to compete in the Trojan Invitational. Despite having only fifteen contestants, the team took SECOND place at the tournament, beating rival team Marvin Ridge. Here are the students who placed in their respective events:

Patrick Withrow – CHAMPION, SPAR Debate

Lane Fagan – 2nd Place, Original Oratory

Isabel Williams – 2nd Place, Extemporaneous Speaking

Daniel Guerrero – 2nd Place, Lincoln-douglas Debate

Lane Fagan – 3rd Place, SPAR Debate

Hannah Wang – 4th Place, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Amit Jain and Tarini Paleru – 5th Place, Public Forum Debate

Also, congratulations to Priyang Shah, who won 1st place in House 1 at the Carolina West District Congress, thereby qualifying to the NFL National Tournament in Dallas this June. It’s official, Myers Park will be represented at Nationals, and hopefully many more qualifiers will follow Priyang at the district tournament in a few weeks.

Anyone interested in attending CFL Quals at Phillip O. Berry Academy this Saturday need to sign up RIGHT NOW on the tournament signup page.

VICTORY at the Southside Invitational

mikeg593 — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:40:10 +0000

On February 5, 33 MP students travelled to Southside High School in Greenville, SC for the last showdown of the season between North and South Carolina. With an incredible burst of team spirit, NC was finally victorious as Myers Park took home the coveted FIRST PLACE Southside “Tiger Trophy”. The mustangs were victorious over previous champions Riverside HS by a considerable margin of 20 points, as they accumulated a grand total of 86 for the tournament. Here’s everyone who placed, in their respective events:

Jason Fuller & Robert Havelka – CHAMPIONS, Public Forum Debate

Taruni Paleru & Jake Lampke – 2nd Place, Public Forum Debate

Mike Griggs & Ashley Thomas – 2nd Place, Duo Interpretation

Isabel Williams – 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking

Bernadine Pierre and Meghan Dorn – 2nd Place, Extemp Duo

Ketan Chokshi – 2nd Place, Student Congress

Hannah Wang – 2nd Place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Lane Fagan and Jake Raynor – 3rd Place, Extemp Duo

Jake Raynor – 3rd Place, Radio Speaking

Patrick Withrow – 4th Place, Extemporaneous Speaking

Patrick Withrow – 4th Place, Impromptu Speaking

Jay Merritt – 4th Place, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Isabel Williams- 5th Place, Extemporaneous Speaking

Roma Sonik – 5th Place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Mike Griggs – 7th Place, Humorous Interpretation

Mike Griggs – 8th Place, Oral Interpretation

Sibley Fillette – 9th Place, Oral Interpretation

One week after the Southside Invitational, the Public Forum team of Porter Nenon and Lauren Wiggins travelled to the Duke University Blue Devil Classic to compete against a challenging field of 20 experienced PF teams. They made it all the way to the semifinal round before falling to NCSSM, so please congratulate them on this accomplishment!

This weekend 28 MP debaters will travel to Boston for the Harvard National Tournament… check back for daily updates as the weekend goes on!

MP, Other Carolina Schools Experience Success at Emory

mikeg593 — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:11:08 +0000

This weekend, 16 MP students travelled to Atlanta to compete in the Emory University speech and debate tournament, one of the most prestigious in the nation. Deena Cronson and Charlie Talmadge made double-octafinals in Public Forum, Ashley Thomas and Mike Griggs made quarterfinals in Duo Interp, and Mike Griggs also made quarters in Humorous Interp! Be sure to congratulate them when they return to school.

Also experiencing success in the Carolinas was Ben Denton (Pinecrest), Sarah Vansickle (Marvin Ridge), Nathaniel Donahue (Durham Academy), James Thompson, Jordan Branham, Francine Tamakloe, and Paavan Gami (Southside), and Richard Merlino, Logan Coffey, Rachel Jones, Devon Scott, Brandi White, and Wilson Fields! (Hillcrest) Probably missed a few, but still, congrats to everyone for representing the Carolinas so well!

MP’s next tournament is SOUTHSIDE, on February 5. Any students interested in going need to sign up by Tuesday night on the tournament signup page.

LAIRD LEWIS VOLUNTEERS

mikeg593 — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 23:31:06 +0000

Hello, all!

Hope everyone had an awesome break, and I hope everyone is ready to get back into the swing of things with Laird Lewis 2011!!

IF YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR OR CAFETERIA WORKER for Laird Lewis (In other words, you signed up on Mr. West’s board): You are REQUIRED to attend ONE of two meetings this week: They are Wednesday and Thursday, right after school in the small cafeteria. Shouldn’t last longer than 3:30. (This is also where you’ll get your free tshirt!)

IF YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SPECIFIC DUTY: Chances are, you need to be trained. If you do, I’ll contact you individually over the next few days.

IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR A NEW (2011) HOODIE, they will be available in Mr. West’s room on Monday… be sure to bring your $20! Officers and people who pre-ordered have priority… once those have been distributed we will have a few extras, but not many. We might order an extra shipment if demand is high enough.

Looking forward to seeing y’all again!

~Mike G

MAULDIN Results! (Also FYI: locations for districts and states)

mikeg593 — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:37:57 +0000

On November 13, about 26 students travelled to Mauldin High School in Greenville for a fantastically fun Glee/Harry Potter themed tournament! Here’s who placed, in their respective events:

Mike Griggs/Ashley Thomas – CHAMPIONS, Duo Interpretation*

Porter Nenon/Priyang Shah – CHAMPIONS, Public Forum Debate*

*Both of our champion teams had perfect records!!!

Mike Griggs – 2nd Place, Oral Interpretation

Betsy Marshall/Erin Larsen – 2nd Place, Public Forum Debate

Isabel Williams – 4th Place, Extemp Speaking

Daniel Guerrero – 4th Place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Lisa Fan – 4th Place, Varsity Loncoln-Douglas Debate

Ben Beaumont – 4th Place, Congress Senate

Beth Kingaby/Susanna Booth – 6th Place, Impromptu Duet Acting

Mackie Raymond – 7th Place, Novice Reading

Michael Strothers – 7th Place, Extemp Speaking

Jake Lampke – 7th Place, Congress House

Good luck to the 28 people competing at the Asheville HS Cougar Classic this weekend!

ALSO: Two tournaments toward the end of the year now have official locations! As in past years our district tournament is run jointly with South Carolina’s district tournament… This year is South Carolina’s year to host the tournaments and the location is… RIVERSIDE HS, in Greenville. The district tournament is March 18-19, 2011, and we are allowed to take our top four competitors in each event.

And also, the Tarheel Forensic League State Championship will be at PINECREST HS in Southern Pines. TFL States will be on April 8-9, and we are UNLIMITED in the number of people we can take, so mark your calendars now!

~Mike G

GMU Signups are online!

mikeg593 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 04:01:38 +0000

Signups are officially online for the GMU Patriot Games! This INCREDIBLE tournament on December 3-6 is in Fairfax, VA (Just outside DC!) and offers some of the best competition you will see before Harvard! Speech competitors can enter in up to SIX events, but I don’t recommend it if it’s your first year. See Mr. West if you’re planning on entering in more than two events. Debate events are single-entry only, as always. Cost will be about $300, depending on how many people sign up. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SIGN UP, THE LESS EXPENSIVE IT WILL BE. So seriously, get your name on the list NOW, not only so we can get an official price ASAP, but also so we can get our registration in before GMU’s November 17 deadline! DON’T PROCRASTINATE ON THIS ONE PEOPLE!!!
Much love,
~Mike G

December Topic Released!

mikeg593 — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 22:10:44 +0000

This just in: the National Forensic League has released the December Public Forum Topic, and it is as follows:
Resolved: Cyberbullying should be a criminal offense.
Legislation for Mauldin should be posted by Wednesday on the “topics and legislation” page. Also, signups for the Asheville HS Cougar Classic (November 20) and the GMU Patriot Games (December 3-6) will be up soon, so keep your eyes open for that!
~Mike G

Maverick Invitational Results/IMPORTANT Announcement!

mikeg593 — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:15:41 +0000

On October 23, 34 students travelled to Marvin Ridge High school in Waxhaw to compete in the Maverick Invitational. Here are the students who placed in their respective events:

Charlie Talmadge and Deena Cronson – 2nd Place, Public Forum Debate

Derrick Flakoll – 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking

Meghan Dorn and Beth Kingaby – 2nd Place, Impromptu Duet Acting

Derrick Flakoll – 3rd Place Extemp Speaking

Claire Browder – 3rd Place, Novice Original Oratory

Daisy Torres – 3rd Place, Novice Reading

Jay Merritt – 5th Place, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Bernadine Pierre and Meghan Dorn – 5th Place, Duo Interpretation

Daniel Guerrero – 6th Place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Erin Larsen and Dillon Rusgo – 6th Place, Novice Public Forum Debate

Tyler Cheek and Apoorva Thatavarty – 7th Place, Novice Public Forum Debate

Jamie McGhee – 7th Place, Oral Interpretation

Michael Ding – 8th Place, Novice Student Congress

Beth Kingaby – 8th Place, Novice Reading

4th Place Overall, out of 28 Schools

And now, an important announcement:

Bad news: The Jack Britt Debate Team has CANCELLED their November 13 tournament.

Good News: Mauldin High School is hosting a tournament on that same day, which we have decided to attend instead! Mauldin is in Greenville, SC, which is a lot closer and more convenient than Fayetteville. Mauldin offers all the same events as Jack Britt, with ONE exception: Instead of Spontaneous Argument (SPAR) Debate, they offer Impromptu Duet Acting (IDA). It’s a VERY fun event, and I would encourage anyone to try it out! Contact me or Ashley T if you want to learn more.

So apart from that… NOTHING HAS CHANGED for that weekend except the location of the tournament we attend. However, if you already signed up for Jack Britt, you need to do so again for Mauldin. If you’re interested in attending this AWESOME tournament, get your name on the list NOW! You can sign up HERE.

~Mike G

Bob Jones & Big Bronx Results!

mikeg593 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 02:12:58 +0000

This weekend, a team of 34 students traveled to Bob Jones Academy in Greenville for the largest local tournament of the year. Overall, the team took 4th place in sweepstakes, out of over thirty schools! Here are the students that placed in their respective events:

Daniel Guerrero – CHAMPION, Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate

Ohavia Phillips – 2nd Place, Oral Interpretation

Vijay Sadanani – 2nd Place, Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate

Mike Griggs – 3rd Place, Oral Interpretation

Lane Fagan/Ashley Thomas – 3rd Place, Impromptu Duet Acting

Patrick Withrow – 3rd Place, Impromptu AND Extemp Speaking

Mike Griggs/Ashley Thomas – 5th Place, Duo Interpretation

Sara Lee – 5th Place, Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate

Additionally, the PF team of Porter Nenon and Lauren Wiggins traveled to the New York City Invitational at the Bronx High School of Science this weekend. (aka “Big Bronx”) This is a HUGE tournament for Public Forum, and Ports and Lala made OCTAFINALS! (Top 16 teams) Be sure to congratulate them on this amazing accomplishment!

If you intend to go to Marvin Ridge, be sure to get your name on the list NOW! You can sign up HERE. Signups will close Tuesday night. Forms are due WEDNESDAY.

This has been a great weekend for MP Speech and Debate, so thanks SO much to everyone who made it happen!

~Mike G

MARVIN RIDGE

mikeg593 — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 02:06:20 +0000

Due to a lack of signups, we have CANCELLED the trip to Blue Key, as it will be more expensive than we originally estimated. However, we will be taking a large team to the George Mason Patriot Games on December 4-5, so be sure to mark your calendars if you’re interested in attending! (And trust me, this is one tournament you do NOT want to miss.) Cost should be around $300, assuming enough people sign up.

Also: Signups are online for MARVIN RIDGE, which is October 23 in Waxhaw. (Students are responsible for their own transportation.) Get your name on the list NOW if you want to go! Marvin offer novice divisions of every event under the sun, so if this will be your first or second tournament, I recommend signing up for a novice event. Legislation has been posted on the “Topics and Legislation” page.

Also, good luck to the 30+ students competing at Bob Jones Academy this weekend, as well as the varsity debaters that will be attending the New York City Invitational at Bronx Science!

~Mike G

Blue Key signups and information

mikeg593 — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 23:24:45 +0000

If you plan to attend Blue Key, you need to sign up NOW on the Tournament Signups Page! It is a fantastic tournament at the Univeristy of Florida in Gainesville, from October 28 to November 1. In the past, people we’ve taken to Blue Key have gone on to become some of our best competitors. It’s a ton of fun, great competition for varsity members, and a fantastic learning experience for novices!

Tournament information is available on http://www.bluekeydebate.com/. (Don’t trust the dates… some of them are outdated.)

The cost will be about $300… THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SIGN UP, THE LESS EXPENSIVE IT WILL BE. Mr. West needs to know by this weekend who is going, so sign up NOW!

Signups are also online for Bob Jones Academy, on October 16. Once again, Mr. West needs to now ASAP about that one.

~Mike G

Viking Classic results

mikeg593 — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 01:53:45 +0000

Today, 44 competitors traveled to North Meck to compete in the Viking Classic/Carolina Challenge Cup! Even though MP’s three-year streak in possession of the CCC was ended by Hillcrest, here are the people who placed, in their respective events:

Tyler Cheek/Apoorva Thatavarty – CHAMPIONS, Novice Public Forum

Lisa Fan – CHAMPION, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas

Meghan Dorn/Beth Kingaby – 2nd Place, IDA

Logan Cerwin/Will Barry – 3rd Place, IDA

Isabel Williams – 4th Place, Impromptu

Porter Nenon/Lauren Wiggins – 4th Place, Varsity Public Forum

Robert Havelka/Jason Fuller – 5th Place, Varsity Public Forum

Mike Griggs – 5th Place, Oral Interpretation

Sara Lee – 5th Place, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas

Katelyn Morgan – 6th Place, Novice Reading

Mike Griggs – 6th Place, Dramatic Interpretation

Deena Cronson/Charlie Talmage – 6th Place, Varsity Public Forum

Currently, the score on the Carolina Challenge Cup is: North Carolina 3, South Carolina 2. The state that wins the cup five times wins the challenge… So let’s keep up the great work so we can win back that cup next year!

If you wanna go to Bob Jones (Oct. 16) or Blue Key (Oct. 28- Nov. 1), sign up NOW under “Tournament Signups!”

~Mike G

New topics released!

mikeg593 — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:49:00 +0000

This just in: the NFL has released the newest LD and PF topics! And they are as follows:

PFD November Resolution:
Resolved: An Islamic cultural center should be built near Ground Zero.

LD November/December Resolution:
Resolved: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice.

Legislation for Bob Jones will be posted very soon. ALSO: Good luck to our huge team of 44 competitors competing at the North Meck Viking Classic this weekend!
~Mike G

VICTORY at the Pinecrest Open!

mikeg593 — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:29:40 +0000

Today, the team traveled to Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, NC to kick off the local circuit with a bang! In addition to a FIRST PLACE team sweepstakes win, here are the competitors who placed in their respective events:

Daisy Torres – CHAMPION in Oral Interp (At her FIRST tournament I might add…)
Ben Beaumont – CHAMPION in Varsity Congress (Second year in a row!)
Mike Griggs/Ashley Thomas – CHAMPIONS in Duo Interp (With a perfect record!)
Jack Eiselt – 2nd place in JV Congress (Also, best Presiding Officer)
Patrick Withrow – 2nd place in Impromptu
Mike Griggs – 3rd place in Dramatic Interp
Lisa Fan – 4th place in Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Isabel Williams – 4th place in Extemp Speaking
Porter Nenon/Sara Lee – 5th place in Varsity Public Forum
John Winn – 5th place in Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Sarah Watson – 6th place in Oral Interp

ALSO, just a quick reminder… if you want to go to North Meck, Bob Jones, or Florida Blue Key, you need to sign up NOW on the SIGNUP PAGE!

~Mike G

Lanyards on sale now!

mikeg593 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:24:16 +0000

As many of you know, at the end of September, Administration will be enforcing a policy that requires all students to wear ID’s during school hours. So why not use this opportunity to show your pride in one of MP’s most successful teams? Starting tomorrow (Sept. 15), “Myers Park Speech and Debate” lanyards will be on sale for $2 each, in LA-27! Not gonna lie, they look pretty awesome. Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity!
Speaking of awesome opportunities, SIGN UP FOR PINECREST!!! As of now 16 have signed up… let’s get some more so that we can beat our 3rd place finish from last year!
~Mike G

And here… we… GO.

mikeg593 — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:32:13 +0000

A few weeks ago, all the officers sat down to discuss plans and goals for the coming year. One of our main goals was that we would advance at least 50% of the students that we took to the Wake Forest Earlybird.

Well, this past weekend, I’m pleased to announce that our goal was not only met, but exceeded, as we broke 60% of our competitors out of their preliminary rounds! Congratulations to the following competitors who made elimination rounds at the Earlybird!

Priyang Shah – 5th place in Congress, Best presiding officer in final session

Lisa Fan – Semifinals, JVLD

Jason Fuller/Robert Havelka – Semifinals, PFD

Mike Griggs/Ashley Thomas – Semifinals, DUO Interp

Sara Lee – Quarterfinals, JVLD

Porter Nenon/Lauren Wiggins – Quarterfinals, PFD

Also thanks to Jay Merritt, Derrick Flakoll, Patrick Withrow, Erin Larsen, and Betsy Marshall, who all made this a fantastic kickoff weekend! This year is gonna be AMAZING!

~Mike G

WOAH!!

mikeg593 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:06:02 +0000

Today is truly a historic occasion… After school, 96 students gathered in S-7 to make up the biggest interest meeting in MP Speech and Debate’s 46-year history! Thanks so much to everyone who came out, and we look forward to making this year our best yet! Signups are now online for Pinecrest, North Meck, and Bob Jones under “Tournament Signup”, so if you’re interested, be sure to get your name on the list ASAP!
~Mike G

Welcome back!

mikeg593 — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:22:57 +0000

Hope everyone had a relaxing summer!

It’s that time of year again… time for school to start back up, along with the new speech and debate season! Signups are now online for Wake Forest, on the Tournament Signup page! If you are interested, please sign up ASAP for this awesome tournament! (Signups for Pinecrest and North Meck will be online shortly.) We look forward to starting off the season strong by continuing our record of success!

~Mike G