Debate Team Qualifies 10 Students for State Finals

In a record breaking effort on February 6th the debate team qualified 10 students to the Ohio High School Speech League State Finals in Cincinnati on March 4-5.

Joining pre-qualified seniors Nick Downey and Harper Kerkhoff is fellow senior Griffin Rothgeb, sophomores Annika Kanuckel-Wolfe, Mary Harris, Max Chandler, Gannon Reddy and freshmen Curtis Erlandson and Zach Broeren. Wolfe, Harris, Reddy, Erlandson and Broeren are all first year members of the team. Downey, Kerkhoff and Rothgeb are closing out their four year careers with a trip to the Finals.

Downey and Kerkhoff qualified in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Rothgeb and Erlandson qualified in Extemporaneous Speaking, Wolfe and Harris will be representing MV in the Duo Interpretation category and Chandler, Reddy and Broeren will be competing in Congressional Debate.

Overall, the team finished in 5th place out of 20 teams in a district that ranges from Columbus to Toledo. This is the highest place the team has achieved in its 10 year history.

Princeton High School in Cincinnati will host the State Finals where over 500 students from around the state will compete in 13 different events of speaking, debating and literature interpretation.