Maranatha High School: The Win is in the Participation in 2020
On Saturday, December 12, the Maranatha Speech & Debate Team participated in the Southern California Debate League Fall Varsity Speech Tournament.
The tournament was held online, via Zoom, where students presented speeches they created this Fall over a 3-round, 8-hour tournament. Junior Sam Tong presented International Extemporaneous Speeches, answering questions he had been given at the tournament. He successfully used the breadth of knowledge he accumulated over the course of a semester to address solutions to current international issues. Junior Faith Ising presented an original prose and poetry speech emphasizing issues related to adoption. Samantha Chi ’22, Ryan Lin ’22, Isabella Madrid ’23, and Kevin Lai ’23 presented original oratory speeches. Kevin Lai’s involvement was particularly impressive because he participated via Zoom live from China, which meant he competed in the tournament during the middle of the night his time.
Speech & Debate Coach Patrick Mesisca ‘92 said, “Although we did not win any trophies at this tournament, I was impressed by the work ethic our students showed leading up to the tournament. I spent several extra hours working individually with every student in preparation for this tournament. While we all look forward to eventually being able to present our speeches in front of live audiences, it has been a great encouragement to see how the Speech & Debate program has persevered and been creative during these challenging times. Sometimes the win is in the participation!”
Maranatha High School, 169 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 817-4000 or visit www.maranathahighschool.org.
