Results_Standings

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2/7/2012
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate is entering the last stages of its 2011-2012 season this month. Thanks to Alex Tassoni, Sohan Pillarisetti, and Michael Bachurski who represented Upper Merion at the prestigious "Pennsbury Falcon Invitational" this past weekend. Though no one placed in the top six, Alex nearly qualified for the final round of a supplemental event. Upper Merion will be traveling to William Tennant HS on Wednesday for the league semifinals. The Vikings will be represented by Sarah Stecz, Kaitlyn Hill, Kevin Gross, and Rachel Kuria in Public Forum Debate, Nick Lee, Michael Bachurski and Gloria Sheinbaum in Congressional Debate, Eden Strassburg in Extemporaneous Speaking, and finally Alex Tassoni, Johanna Reck, Jackie Nikpour, and Anna Bahn in Oral Interpretation of Literature. Sohan Pillarisetti will be serving as a student judge. Please wish them well!

11/17/2011
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate hosted the Southeastern PA Debate League on Wednesday, and the organizational support of the whole team combined to make a successful afternoon. Twelve schools from Bucks and Montgomery County traveled to Upper Merion for contests in four styles of debate and three forms of public speaking. Seniors Kaitlyn Hill and Sarah Stecz were undefeated in their debates over the wisdom of the Electoral College, and the teams of Kevin Gross and Rachel Kuria, and Jackie Schauble and Krysta Zadroga also notched one win. Jackie Nikpour had a strong afternoon, with rankings of 1st, 1st, and 2nd for he piece about a Vietnam War soldier. Vicky Wu, Marissa Chang, Gloria Sheinbaum, Lousi Curcio, and Nick Sanchez made their league debut, and Alex Tassoni, James Lee, and Dyana Baurley served as student judges. Thanks to the Upper Merion faculty and staff for their support and assistance for this event!

11/02/2011
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate returned yesterday from their first league contest at Upper Dublin with some impressive performances. The newly-formed team of Dyana Baurley and Kaitlyn Hill debated the wisdom of the Electoral College, and won two of their three rounds. Veterans Alex Tassoni and Jackie Nikpour, along with new-comer Vicky Wu scored highly in Oral Interpretation of Literature with Alex and Vicky earning first place rankings. Matt Hill and Mike Bachurski scored will in Congressional Debate, while Max Lindsay, Jojo Reck, and Sarah Stecz served the league in the judging pool. The team will host the next contest of the Southeastern PA Debate League in two weeks.

02/07/2011
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate begins its most important week of the year, with semifinals approaching on Wednesday at Lower Moreland. UM has qualified its largest contingent yet, with high expectations in several events. The debate side is represented by Emily Diemer, Sarah Stecz, Dyana Baurley, and Sarah Howell, in the Public Forum Debate category, Nick Lee and Kush Gupta, in the Policy Debate category, and Sohan Pillarisetti, Matt Hill, and Ricardo Stephen in Lincoln Douglas Debate. In the speech events, UM will be represented by Kaitlyn Hill in Dramatic Performance and, in Oral Interpretation of Literature by Alex Tassoni, Jojo Reck, Jackie Nikpour, and Cay Sandor.

12/16/2010
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate returned from Cheltenham High School featuring standout performances from several team members. Team President Kaitlyn Hill continued her domination of the "Dramatic Performance" category, with straight first place rankings, joined by Jojo Reck with first place rankings in the "Oral interpretation" category. Alex Tassoni and Jackie Nikpour also earned first place rankings in one of their "Oral Interp" rounds, and Eden Strassburg was ranked first for her Extemporaneous speech on John Boehner. On the debate side, Sohan Pillarisetti went undefeated, and the freshmen team of Jackie Schauble and Evan Mortezavi earned a win in their debut appearance in Public Forum Debate. In January, the team will have two consecutive weeks at Council Rock School District to round out their regular season.

12/01/2010
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate returned from Wissahickon High School featuring standout performances from several team members. Team President Kaitlyn Hill debuted her Dramatic Performance, earning first place rankings in two of the three rounds. Eden Strassburg was ranked first for her speech on Black Friday, while Cay Sandor also earned a first-place ranking for her reading of an Eve Ensler piece. On the debate side, Dyana Baurley and Sarah Howell improved their league rankings by taking two of the three rounds debating cyberbullying. Sarah Russakoff, Shane Cardiero, Jojo Reck, Emily Diemer, and Sarah Stecz all served as league officials for the day. The team goes to Cheltenham in two weeks as it begins the second half of its competitive season.

11/17/2010
The Upper Merion Forensics Team for Speech and Debate hosted the Southeastern PA Debate League yesterday for its second tournament of the season. Juniors Dyana Baurley, Sarah Howell, Emily Diemer and Sarah Stecz enhanced their league records with two wins each, while several UM students got their first taste of debate action this season. Caylynne Sandor earned 3 first place rankings for her OI reading, while Jojo Reck earned a first and two seconds. Max Lindsay, Kaitlyn Hill, and James Lee served the league as student judges. The team continues to broaden its participation in SPDL events in its quest for the league sweepstakes. Their next contest in two weeks will take them to Wissahickon.

11/03/2010
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate returned from its season opener at Neshaminy yesterday with a string of successful performances. Veterans Max Lindsay, Emily Diemer, and Sarah Stecz posted 3-0 records, while Jackie Nikpour and Eden Strassburg each earned a first place ranking. Freshmen David Burns, Matt Hill, and Cay Sandor received valuable experience in their first outing. James Lee, Shane Cardiero, Alex Tassoni, and Kaitlyn Hill served as student judges for the day. In two weeks, Upper Merion will host the 12 teams from the Southeastern PA Debate League. Any interested teachers or students are encouraged to contact Mr. Cox or Mr. Helenski to learn more about our team.

03/15/2010
The Forensics Team for Speech and Debate celebrated their competitive season last night at the League Banquet in Peddler's Village, where four Vikings earned League recognition. Kaitlyn Hill was awarded second place in the league for Dramatic Performance, James Lee earned a trophy as league quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Alex Tassoni was awarded fourth place in the Student Congress event. Special recognition was given to Sarah Russakoff for service to the league as the Preparation Room manager. This season saw the greatest growth in membership in UM Forensics history, and next season will return many Vikings with new competitive experience and lots of talent. The team also wishes the best to its seniors as they approach graduation: Alyssa Goodman, Dani Strassburg, and Richard Ta served as team officers; Christine Ho and Chitra Mosarla explored national and world issues in Extemporaneous Speaking; Trevor Younger earned valuable experience in Public Forum Debate; and Max Hain and Sam Rapine made a formidable Public Forum Debate team. They will all be missed next season.

The team will get together again in May for a Middle School workshop and officer elections for next year. Anyone who missed out on the 2009-2010 season, but has an interest in public speaking, dramatic reading, current issues, or argumentation, should contact Mr. Cox or Ms. Dell'Elmo.

=Results_2009-10=