Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Noumair ’24:
Select members of the Speech and Debate team competed in the prestigious National Catholic Forensic League Tournament over Memorial Day weekend.
This year, Kellenberg was not only invited to attend, but also was able to qualify seven students for the tournament, which is the most in Kellenberg history. Seniors Jake Truncale, Chase Filandro, Keiran Laffey and Jane Bagatta were accompanied by juniors James Abruzzo, Kevin Vitale, and Paulina Barnjak.
Paulina Barnjak was the highest finisher of the weekend, as she placed first in her round of Oral Interpretation. Both Paulina and Jane Bagatta placed second in their respective rounds of Dramatic Interpretation.
Regarding this year’s competition, Paulina shared, “My favorite part of the trip was bonding with my teammates, and getting advice from them. Also, I loved learning about the different categories in Speech and Debate so I can try out new categories next year.”
This year, the annual tournament was held in Louisville, Kentucky. Over 2,500 students from 60 dioceses across the nation attend each year, with some schools traveling from as far as Alaska to compete.
This was a successful end of the year for the Speech and Debate team, and any students looking to join Speech and Debate for next year can contact Mr. Cummings or Mr. Kennedy.