Competing over two weekends, The Bear Creek School’s forensics team won its first-ever National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) District Sweepstakes Award and qualified a record five team members for the National Speech and Debate Tournament, which will be held June 14-19 in Dallas, Texas.

The NSDA’s National Qualifying Tournament for Congress was held on Feb. 28 at the State Capitol in Olympia, the only national qualifying tournament in the country held in a statehouse. Nine members of the forensics team competed for Bear Creek, all finishing in the top half of their chambers. Sophomore Sean Gallagher, in his first-ever Congress, finished third in his House.

On March 5-7, the team competed in speech and debate events at the NSDA’s National Qualifying Tournament at Snohomish High. In the Lincoln-Douglas Debate event, three of the four competitors in the final round, and both national qualifiers in the event were Grizzlies. In the final speech event of the tournament, Original Oratory, once again, both national qualifiers were Grizzlies.

Qualifying to nationals:

Rachael Burch, senior — Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Colin Diamond, senior — Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Semilore Sobande, senior — Original Oratory

Grace Carruth and Jesse Domingo, seniors — Duo Interpretation

Carruth also qualified to nationals in Original Oratory, but is required to attend in a partnered event first.

Alternates to nationals:

Sean Gallagher, sophomore — first alternate, Congressional Debate-House

Tolu Sobande and Adesuwa Agbonile, sophomores — first alternate, Duo Interpretation

Phoenix Moomaw, senior — second alternate, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking

Alyssa Varghese, sophomore — second alternate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Whitney Hom, senior — third alternate, Dramatic Interpretation

Ian Klimisch, junior — fourth alternate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Sean Gallagher and Justin Li, sophomore — fourth alternate, Public Forum Debate

Jesse Domingo, senior — fourth alternate, Humorous Interpretation

Middle schoolers to nationals

Additionally, by virtue of their performances during the regular season in obtaining enough National Junior Forensic League points, and by the qualifying of at least one upper-school student, the following members of Bear Creek’s Middle School squad have qualified to attend the Middle School National Speech and Debate Tournament, held at the same location and at the same time as the high school event in Dallas.

All eighth-graders:

Alex Finan — Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Hannah Hostetter — Congressional Debate

Yasmin Wadhwani and Brittany Ellington — Public Forum Debate