NSDA Debate & Speech Districts 2015

Cary Academy hosted the speech and debate portion of the National Speech and Debate Association Tarheel East District National Qualifying tournament the weekend of January 31st and February 1st. Over 200 competitors from 24 different schools in Eastern North Carolina came to our campus to compete for the right to represent the Tarheel East District at the National Speech & Debate Association's National Tournament in Dallas, Texas in June. CA was fortunate to have 5 students qualify to compete at Nationals on the basis of the results of the weekend's tournament. For the second year in a row Emma Ehrhardt qualified to Nationals in Original Oratory placing second in that event. Senior Laura Cabana finished second in Lincoln Douglas Debate as a Cary Academy LDer qualified to Nationals for the third straight year. Bharat Modi was 4th in both United States and International Extemp and qualified to attend Nationals for the second straight year when he moved in United States Extemp due to double qualification. This is the 15th straight year that a Cary Academy Extemper has qualified to Nationals, as well as the 15th straight year Cary Academy will participate in the National Tournament, the longest streak of any school in the Tarheel East District. Grace Jin and Bill Peebles were the first alternates in Lincoln Douglas Debate and International Extemp respectively, and by virtue of that qualified to be on the Tarheel East District team for the newly created World Team Debate competition. Other students who made impressive runs at the tournament include Divya Vijayakumar who was 6th in International Extemporaneous Speaking, Rachel Shelton who was 6th in US Extemp, Evan Ehrhardt who reached the semifinals of Dramatic Interpretation, Miles Lambert and Shane Stephens who were 8th in Public Forum. The team of Pranav Nair and Khushi Surana reached the fifth round of Public Forum, and Daisy Gray and Taylor Morin, as well as Julia Gong and Henna Judge reached the 4th round of the debate events.