 From left, MVLA speech and debate team members Stephen Hess, Cyndhia Ramat, Laura Passarelli and Prashant Rai performed well in state and national competitions this year. |
Five members of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District’s intermural speech and debate team competed in state and national championships April 29 through May 2. Two students placed among the best competitors in their events.
Mountain View High junior Prashant Rai advanced to the quarterfinal rounds in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the Tournament of Champions, the premier high school national debate competition, held this year at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He placed fifth overall and received the sixth-place speaker award.
Los Altos High sophomore Cyndhia Ramat advanced to the final rounds at the California State Speech Championship Tournament, which was held at California State University at Northridge. Cyndhia placed seventh in the tournament in original oratory. Her award-winning speech, “Knotty Ties,” spoke of the challenges children of many immigrants must overcome.
Mountain View High junior Stephen Hess also competed in the Tournament of Champions. This competition is restricted to 76 Lincoln-Douglas debaters who have achieved the best records at select tournaments held around the country. It is exceptional for one, let alone two students, from any school to win a spot to compete at the tournament. Stephen and Prashant debated the issue: “Democracy is best served by a strict separation between church and state.” Both boys are alternates to the National Forensics League Tournament. They competed in nine other tournaments this year - most were two or three days in length - and at every one, both of them advanced to the late elimination rounds.
Two other team members competed against the best high school speakers in the state at the California Speech Championship Tournament the first weekend in May. Mountain View High freshman Laura Passarelli performed an original dramatic script, “Comfort and Joy,” which focused on the anguish a young woman faces after she suffers a great loss as a child. Mountain View High senior Rose Wei performed a dramatic adaptation of the popular novel “The Joy Luck Club.” Laura, Rose and Cyndhia ranked among the top students in the local Coast Forensics League’s qualifying tournaments this spring.
About 50 members of the MVLA team competed this year, with 20 advancing to semifinal and final rounds in their events at league tournaments. Members of the team advanced to final or semifinal rounds in 12 of the 13 speech and debate categories in which they competed.
The competition season starts early in the fall and continues through the spring. Students interested in joining the team next year should attend the first meeting, Aug. 31. For more information, log on to mvhs.ca.campusgrid.net/home, then click first on For Parents, then on Speech and Debate Parents.
