Sixteen members of the speech and debate team have qualified for the State meet, with the finals taking place online on March 13. Students will compete virtually from Loretto Hall.

Speech and debate Head Coach Mrs. Jeanne Malone said students will arrive at 7:30 a.m., participate in the all-day meet and conclude with an awards ceremony at about 6 p.m. Malone called this year’s results “remarkable” given that the team is composed of 21 freshmen and only 12 sophomores, juniors and seniors.

State meet qualifiers and their competition category are senior Madison Ackley, humor; sophomore Sabrina Ackley, informative; senior Andrew de las Alas, international extemporaneous and impromptu; freshman Johnny Beauchamp, international extemporaneous and impromptu; junior Lendon Byram, international extemporaneous; senior Lauren Dubbink, impromptu; freshman Daniel Kent, duo; junior Hagan McClelland, international extemporaneous; freshman Sammy Parr, duo and humor; junior Janiah Reese, poetry; junior Victory Sampson, drama; and sophomore Izzy Tompkins, drama.