A number of Notre Dame debaters already have qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament to be held May 23-25 in Chicago. (NCFL logo)
Under the direction of debate and forensics coach Le Anne Schmidt, ND students took first through third places in the Congress category and fifth and sixth place in Broadcasting (Jacqueline Kenny and Sarah Huttenlocher). Ethan Carino from ND Marist took home the third-place trophy in Original Oratory and fourth in Congress.
According to Schmidt, there were 82 entries from 12 different schools participating in the tournament, which featured 15 different speech and debate categories.
"Our students competed in congressional debate and broadcasting," Schmidt said. "And two students from Marist competed in congressional debate, original oratory, extemporaneous speaking, and impromptu speaking."
Schmidt said she was very grateful for the help over the weekednd from the many volunteers needed for such a large undertaking. "Several families from both Marist and NDP volunteered their time to support the team, she said. "They were a blessing beyond my expectations!"
She said the guests from other schools were very complimentary of their experience at the event. "One coach said that her students looked forward to this tournament all year long after such an enjoyable experience last year."
Schmidt also announced that junior Kyler Kirk, who will be team captain next year, and freshmen Mariel Manzor and Jacqueline Kenny won the student congress qualifier tournament for the Detroit Catholic Forensic League and are advancing to the Nationals in Chicago on Memorial Day weekend. "These three students are amazingly dedicated and talented debaters," Schmidt said. "As some of you may already know, Sarah Huttenlocher qualified in Lincoln-Douglas debate in December. I am very pleased with the achievements of our team this year."
Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.