Above: Congress and Big Question team (left to right) Allison Schulz, Noah Oien, Emersen Lee, Tyler Strasser, Gavin Swier, Noah Sitter, and Madix Oltmanns.
The Lennox Speech and Debate had their season close with some strong finishes that saw a team placing at State debate and another student qualifying for Nationals this summer.
On March 7 and 8, the Lennox team competed in Brookings at the State tournament. The team brought five members that competed in extemporaneous speaking, informative speaking, original oratory, and public forum debate. The team had some good performances.
Gavin Swier placed in eighth in informative speaking. Madix Oltmanns placed eighth in US extemporaneous speaking. Emersen Lee placed seventh in international extemporaneous speaking. The public forum team of Madix Oltmanns and Noah Sitter went 2-3 and just missed out of out-rounds. Emersen Lee and Maddigan VanSickle went 3-2 in the preliminary rounds and broke to out-rounds. They lost to a good Douglas team and ended the tournament as octo-finalists in nine place.
One week later, the Lennox team participated in the student congress and big question debate National qualifier held at Sioux Falls Roosevelt. In Student Congress, students debate and discuss different legislation. Students that place in the top of their event qualify. Tyler Strasser served as the Parliamentarian for the Senate and ended as the 2nd alternate to the National tournament. Emersen Lee is the 1st alternate from the Senate. In Big Question debate, the students debated the resolution Resolved: Creativity is a more powerful force than intelligence. The top two debaters qualified for the National Tournament in Des Moines this summer. Noah Sitter placed second with a 4-1 record and will represent the school at Nationals.
This caps off a season of great growth for the program.
“The team had many ups and downs this season, but this young group showed great growth and an excellent future. The coaching staff is very proud of the efforts of the students,” stated coach Michael Larson.
The team will start look toward next year by focusing on writing new speeches, selecting scripts to perform, and preparing for Nationals in June.