State Speech and Debate Tournament comes to Niwot

Niwot High School hosted the Class 3A Colorado Speech and Debate State Championships Tournament, which began on Feb. 2 in the afternoon and concluded on Feb. 3, in spite of rain that quickly turned to snow during the day.

NHS staff members Danielle Maloit and Joe Brown were on hand to see that the event went smoothly, while the Niwot High School cheerleaders manned the concession booth for the Saturday session. The event carried on well past the anticipated 5:15 p.m. ending time, and the competition was still going strong at 7 p.m.

"We hosted this last year," Maloit said. "Joe and I learned a lot." The school's long-time athletic secretary noted that contestants do not know if they have won or not when they are called up to the stage for announcement of the winners. "Joe is really good at predicting the winners," she said, "much better than I am."

Niwot High participates in CHSAA's Class 3A tournament, even though the school is Class 4A for many sports. Members of the NHS team who made it to the state competition included Mariana Carvero and Grace Summers (Public Forum Debate), Sophia Gong and Saharsa Kelli (Public Forum Debate), Fernanda Leguna Perez and Clara Rhea, (Duo Interpretation), Kyle Davidson (Impromptu Speaking) and Chloe Manning (Original Oratory and Impromptu Speaking).

Manning made semi-finals in both of her events, earning a seventh-place finish in Original Oratory and eighth place in Impromptu Speaking. The CHSAA website describes Original Oratory as a contest where students "deliver a self-written, 10-minute speech on a topic of their choosing. Competitors craft an argument using evidence, logic, and emotional appeals. Topics range widely, and can be informative or persuasive in nature. The speech is delivered from memory."

Manning said that Impromptu Speaking is very challenging. The event is described as one where a competitor "chooses between three topics that contain a phrase and a word five minutes before their speech. Each topic is a current event and that student must speak for three-to-five minutes on the topic that they have chosen."

Coach Amanda Foust was pleased with her team's efforts. "The kids are fantastic," she said. "All of their pieces and debates are incredible and well-written. They all work so hard at these events and they get better and better every single time. They have great school spirit and are a very close team that encourages and supports one another."