On March 6 and 7, the Parkway West Speech and Debate Team competed in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHAA) District Tournament at Clayton High School. Competitors earned the ability to compete at the district tournament based on attendance and performance in local tournaments throughout the regular season. Juniors Sara Ashok and Annabella Whiteley placed fourth in Public Forum Debate among more than 20 teams of two. Their placement qualified them for the state tournament in late April.
“Annabella and I started [debate] our freshman year, and we’ve consistently been partners for the past three years. We’ve done every tournament together, and we’ve grown and evolved as a partnership,” Ashok said.
Ashok also serves as the Public Forum Debate Captain for the Speech and Debate Team. Over 40 team members are involved in Ashok’s event, choosing to compete in Public Forum Debate rather than Policy or Lincoln-Douglass Debate. This year, senior Yein Ahn and junior Bethany Liao earned first place and were recognized as District Champions in the event.
“It shows that my hard work paid off because this was the first year I was doing [Public Forum] and with a new partner. I could see myself growing throughout the year and getting better at tournaments. We didn’t expect to do that well at districts. We didn’t even imagine we could be first because there were so many good teams,” Ahn said.
Ahn and Liao will compete in the MSHAA State Tournament as the number one seed of the Eastern Missouri District. The pair, as well as all other state qualifiers, will travel to the state tournament at Missouri State University on Thursday, April 23, competing on both April 24 and 25.
“My hope is always that [competitors] feel like they get what they put in. If they are going and seeing what other people are doing, [I hope that] teaches them something,” English teacher and Speech and Debate Coach Cara Borgsmiller said. “Some people with pretty high ambitions and hope could win state championships if they put in the effort.”
