Speech Tournament Success!

The WA Speech and Debate Team hosted the 6th annual MS Bard Speech Tournament this past Saturday. The event was basically a dual meet between St. Michael's and Western Academy. Our boys performed very well and kept the meet the closest it has been in the past several years. Though we came up just a bit short in the team competition, a number of Green Jays rose to the occasion. 8th grader Ben Aycock led the for the team way garnering two Shakespeare trophies for his impeccable performances in Dramatic Interpretation and Poetry. Our Reader's Theater team, featuring a solid cohort of 8th graders, including Mason Abrell, Johnny O'Bar, Nathan Polzer, Andy Caranti, and Ben Aycock, also claimed the top prize.

Additionally, we had a number of finalists who represented themselves, their families, and the school with distinction. Talented 8th grader Christopher Tufaro was a finalist in Dramatic Interpretation (4th), Poetry (5th), Prose (5th), and Sacred Scripture (4th), while his classmate Andy Caranti took 2nd in Poetry and 3rd in Duet Acting with Nathan Polzer. Another 8th grader Johnny O'Bar was a finalist in Poetry with a 3rd place finish as was Collin England in Sacred Scripture. Some of our younger boys showed promise, too. 6th grader Jonah Aycock was a finalist in Dramatic Interpretation (5th) and Poetry (4th), while his classmate Xavier Klatt placed 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation. Overall, the boys had an outstanding first showing for the year. 

Special thanks go out to the all parents who donated items to the Hospitality Room, who judged a speech round, or who helped man the Concessions Stand to raise money for the 8th grade D.C. Trip. It truly is a community effort to put on a high quality speech tournament, and you all did a fantastic job!