LAHS NEWS
For the sixth year in a row, the Los Alamos High School Hilltalkers earned the New Mexico Speech and Debate School of Excellence Award for outstanding performance in Speech and Debate events at the 2021 New Mexico State Speech and Debate Championships. “I am so proud of our team,” said Coach Margo Batha. “They have done a phenomenal job the entire season competing in a virtual format. From the comfort of our homes, we’ve traveled to competitions at Glenbrooks North and South High Schools in Illinois, Harvard, Arizona State University, and the University of Texas, Austin to compete with the top Speech and Debate students in the nation. We’ve also competed at every competition offered in New Mexico.”
Students who competed in the state competition include:
Yunseo Kim, 1st place in Dramatic Interpretation
Emily Scott, 2nd place in Dramatic Interpretation
Taylor Kanzleiter and Philippa Fung, 6th place in Duo Interpretation
Olivia Koo, 1st place in Informative Speaking
Philippa Fung, 2nd place in Informative Speaking
Elizabeth Frost, 4th place in Informative Speaking
Dana Roelofs, 4th place in International Extemporaneous Speaking
Yunseo Kim, 1st place in Program of Oral Interpretation
Elizabeth Adams, 2nd place in Program of Oral Interpretation
Violet Henderson, Quarterfinalist, Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate
Maximus Posada, 3rd place, Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate
Olivia Koo and Dana Roelofs, 2nd place, Varsity Policy Debate
Congratulations are also due to Hana Raby, Simon Lee, Ravijit Khalsa, Luke Favorite, Finley Inglis, Rylee Mechum, Keturah Sherrill, Shena Han, and Brian Han for their strong performances at State.
In addition, the Los Alamos Middle School Hawktalkers, coached by Sherri Bublitz, brought home a Debate School of Honor Award. “We haven’t done that in years,” said Bublitz. Middle school students competed against high school students in the competition.
Eighth grader Uxue Sansinena was named State Champion in Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Jonathan Chen and David Reichhardt were in the top eight in the state, making it to the quarterfinals in Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate. This year’s National tournaments will be held virtually in June. The High School Nationals Opening Ceremony will be held on June 13, while the Middle School Showcase finalists will be announced on the same day.