Great Debaters

6/23/2009

Fiona Reilly

Seven students on University School’s Speech and Debate Team competed in the National Forensic League National Tournament held recently in Birmingham, Alabama. US advanced further than any other school in Ohio in Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debates. This was also the second consecutive year that University School sent as many as seven students to the national competition.

In Public Forum Debate, the team of Joseph Mekhail and Michael DiMino advanced to the twelfth round placing them among the top 17 teams out of 241 overall. The team of Kyle Kysela and Bardia Rahmani was one win short of advancing to the elimination rounds.

Vinay Prasad, winner of the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship, advanced to the eleventh round in Lincoln-Douglas debate, earning him a spot as one of the top 22 Lincoln-Douglas debaters in the country.

In Humorous Interpretation, Sean O'Brien advanced to the quarterfinals, placing him in the top 30 competitors nationwide.

In International Extemporaneous Speaking, James Mersol participated in the preliminary rounds.

“I am very proud of our students and their performance at this year’s nationals,” said Peter Paik, head coach of University School’s Speech and Debate Team. “The team should be commended not only for their individual accomplishments, but also for the way they supported each other and worked together as a team. I especially want to thank assistant coach, Amy Dinsmore, for her great coaching and invaluable help with the trip.”

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