 | Last week, the Speech and Debate Team participated in the Districts Tournament held at Coronado. 3 out of 4 Basic Academy students made it to the third day of competition in the Districts tournament, where eliminations started after only two rounds on Day 1. Tevin Stewart made it through four rounds of LD debate, and 4 rounds of Foreign Extemp. Stephanie Paredes made it through 3 rounds of Oratory. And the shining star of the tournament was Sage Steffen who, as a semi-finalist, made it to the top 9 in Informative Speaking. The Golden Desert District includes all high schools in Clark County and Southern Utah. Way to go Team! The Congress team heads to Districts this Friday and Saturday. |
 L-R: Sage, Mele'a, Giovanni, Jacob, Stephanie, and Tevin The Basic Academy Debate Team attended their first CCSD County tournament as a full team March 3-5th at Desert Oasis High School. Jacob Weckesser represented the Wolves on the awards stage as Top Chair in the Preliminary rounds of JV Congressional Debate.
Thank you to Donna Crowley and the Weckessers who represented our Wolf Family Judges pool. Your steadfast support of our program helps ensure we have the opportunities for tournaments. The Wolves head to Elko, NV to compete in the State Tournament next week.  The Golden Desert I.E. Tournament took place at Foothill High School February 5th and 6th. This tournament is an official Golden Desert Debate League Tournament, and as such, overall winners earn a bid to the Tournament of Champions in Denver, Colorado. There were over twenty schools in attendance, including schools from out of town.
The Rotary Grant covered entry fees for seven members to compete at this tournament in the following events: Oratory, Informative, Impromptu, and Poetry Oral Interpretation for Individual Events. The team would like to welcome Eryam Harvi as our first entry in an Interpretation Event all season! We also had two entries in Congress. Kudos to Sage Steffen for advancing to Semi-finals in Informative Speaking and earning a medal in the process. Also, thank you to our judges. Without you, tournaments cease to exist. Your are truly an asset to our team, and our sport.  Post Awards Cermony at Palo Verde. Stephanie Paredes, Jacob Weckesser, Tevin Stewart. Photo Credit: Ross Weckesser The team attended the Panther Classic Speech and Debate tournament at Palo Verde High School January 29-30th. There were 30 schools in attendance and over 850 individual entries over two days of competition. Even though our team is smaller than average, or efforts did not go unnoticed.
Jacob Weckesser was promoted from novice Congressional Debate to JV Congressional Debate and placed 6th earning yet another medal in that event. Stephanie Paredes won all of her rounds of JV Lincoln Douglas debate and advanced to quarter finals earning her a medal in a field of over 80 individual entries. She also placed second in her rounds of Original Oratory, a varsity event. Tevin Stewart placed 2nd and 4th in his Foreign Extemporaneous Speech rounds. The team welcomed Giovanni Martinez, a senior, as their newest member. Giovanni competed for the Wolves for the first time in Impromptu speaking. We would like to that Ross and Tommie Weckesser and Ted W. for their continued support of the Basic Academy Debate team. Your time donated as judges, and assistance with food and team camaraderie are greatly appreciated. Without you, we could not compete. Thank you again. The team heads to the Golden Desert League Individual Events and Congress Competition next week at Foothill. Go Wolves!  The Basic Academy Debate Team recently received a grant valued at $250 from the Green Valley Rotary Club. Ms. de Jager applied for the grant back in December. The grant will be applied to student entry fees to help offset the costs associated with competing in local tournaments. We are thankful for the generosity of the Green Valley Rotary Club, and look forward to growing our Speech and Debate program here at Basic Academy.
 Basic Academy Speech and Debate members (Tevin, Stephanie, Jacob, and Sage) enjoy some down-time at the NWCTA Debate invitational on November 14, 2015 Basic Academy attended the Northwest Career and Technical Academy Debate Invitational November 13-14, 2015. There were 23 schools that participated in 5 different styles of debate over the two day tournament.
Sage Steffen led our Congress entries by advancing on to Super Congress, the best of the best in the tournament. She also held the honors of being Presidiing Officer in one of the four sessions she participated in. Jacob Weckesser also participated in Congressional Debate at this tournament. Both Tevin Stewart and Stephanie Paredes debuted the new Lincoln-Douglas resolution. Tevin improved his record to 2-2, and Stephanie debuted at the JV level with a 2-2 record. Tournaments definitely help refine skills in Speech and Debate, but they are not all work and no play. There is considerable amount of downtime where the team can build camaraderie and mingle with other teams. Our Wolves have already formed a bond that helps make tournaments worth going to. We would like to thank Jorge Mortero and Ross Weckesser for judging and being a part of what makes tournaments possible. We are looking forward to our next tournament at Canyon Springs in December.  Basic Academy Speech and Debate team stepped up to the challenge at the Gator Speech and Debate Tournament held at Green Valley High School, Ocotber 16th and 17th. Green Valley is known for hosting a top-notch event, and as such, there were over 1,000 entries spread across the two day tournament. The fields were strong, as experience has proven. However, our team did not hold back. In the end, Sage Steffen and Jacob Weckesser medaled in JV and Novice Congressional Debate respectively.
Our competiton team also included Star Fantroy,Congressional Debate, Stephanie Pareded-Lagunas, Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Tevin Stewart. He competed in both Foreign Extemporaneous Speech and Lincoln-Douglas debate. As their coach, I am extremly proud of the growth the team has had in a short month of competition. They have improved their speaking and argument skills, but have also grown as people. Their confidence has soared, and they have taken on leadership roles in the class. I couldn't ask for a better set of students to represent the rebirth of competitive Basic Academy Speech and Debate. Go Wolves! We would like to thank Ross Weckesser, Nicole, Remmer, Gorje Mortero, and Ted Weirauch for representing our share of the judges and being a part of the Basic Academy Speech and Debate family. Thank you for your continued support. |
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