Soaring
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Academics
SCA Students Receive National Speech and Debate Association Academic All-American Designation SCA is pleased to announce that five speech and debate students have been awarded the designation of National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA)’s Academic All-American award. This award is given to the top 2% of speech and debate students in the nation. This is the largest number of students to receive this recognition in a single year from SCA. Students receiving the award are seniors Austin Wilson and Ryan Wagy, and juniors Zachary Akeson, Kandace Gill, and Kaitlyn Gregg. This is Austin Wilson’s second year to receive the award, making him SCA’s first two-time AAA. Front row (L-R) Kandace Gill, Zachary Akeson, and Kaitlyn Gregg; Back Row (L-R) Austin Wilson, Coach Mark Harris, and Ryan Wagy. These students represent the top two percent of all speech and debate students in the nation, to receive the NSDA’s Academic All-American designation.
Speech & Debate Goals Set...Goals Achieved! The first goal for speech and debate was that no one compete at a tournament without winning at least one of the four preliminary rounds they would debate. This proved not to be a problem for the nine debaters on the team. Not only did they accomplish this goal, but the team won 166 rounds at a pace of two of every three rounds they debated. This resulted in sixteen trips into elimination rounds and seven first place finishes. Juniors Zachary Akeson and Kaitlyn Gregg were first in Public Forum Debate twice. Junior Kandace Gill took first twice in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Senior Maycee Nicholson also had a first place finish in Lincoln-Douglas. In Policy Debate, Seniors Ryan Wagy with Austin Wilson had two first place finishes. The debaters also were successful in their individual speech events. Junior Zachary Akeson led the way as he competed in the finals 12 times for his two events, Oration and International Extemporaneous Speaking. In those rounds, he finished in the top three eight times, and first place five times. But Zach was not alone. Other team members
made finals 17 times, with five of those resulting in top three finishes. Unlike most other activities and sports, speech and debate competes against all classifications. The members of the team expect to square off against the likes of Rockhurst, Pembroke Hill, Lee’s Summit West, Lee’s Summit North, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, and others at tournaments that could have 30 plus schools participating. Not all members of the team compete together at every tournament because of involvement in other functions and state participation limits but, when they were able to assemble as many as possible, another goal was to finish in the top ten in the team sweepstakes. Another goal met! Twice, even while being the smallest school competing at the tournament, SCA finished not only in the top ten, but in the top five. In January, the team set a school record at the Smithville Tournament for their highest finish in an open classification tournament by coming in second place, behind only Liberty HS in the 26 school field. In February, the Eagles were fourth of the 39 schools at
the Neosho Classic. Another goal was to qualify members of the team to state and nationals. This would again mean competing against schools larger than SCA since neither MSHSAA or the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) divide schools by classification. Another goal met! At the state qualifying tournament, SCA saw Zachary Akeson make finals in International Extemporaneous Speaking, and Maycee Nicholson in the final round of Original Oration. Advancing to the State Tournament in April are Ryan Wagy in Radio Speaking, and Maycee Nicholson in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. The National Speech and Debate Tournament, the world’s largest academic competition, will once again include members of the SCA team as Ryan Wagy with Austin Wilson took first place, while going undefeated, in Policy Debate at the Show-Me District Tournament. Joining them will be Zachary Akeson, who finished first in International Extemporaneous Speaking. These three may be joined by other members of the (continued on p. 5)
