The school’s Speech and Debate teams sent 16 students to the J.W. Patterson Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Lexington, Kentucky from April 26-28, with six breaking into the finals of the tournament.
Molly Block ’26 and Assistant News Editor Erin Ryu ’26 advanced to the finals of the tournament, with Block earning second place in Oral Program Interpretation and Ryu placing sixth in Dramatic Interpretation. Lyra Majumdar ’26, William Lin ’26 and Sally Ramberg ’26 reached the semifinals, while Hannah Yang ’28 made it to the quarterfinals.Each competitor must garner two bids to be eligible for the tournament by placing as a finalist or semifinalist at other top-tier regional tournaments in the country. The TOC is held for Congressional Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate and Speech categories.
Speech Coach and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher Sarina Wang said students must put in hours of dedication and preparation to have a chance to attend the TOC.
“When someone qualifies, it means they’ve consistently performed at an elite level against some of the best speakers in the nation,” Wang said. “Preparation for TOC starts at the beginning of the year. Students compete in a variety of tournaments and continuously revise and fine-tune their pieces through multiple rounds of feedback, practice rounds and peer review. By the time they get to TOC, their speeches will ideally be in their strongest possible versions.”
Wang said she started coaching the Speech Team because she believes that it is an activity that empowers students and creates change.
“I coach the Speech Team because I’ve seen how life-changing this activity can be,” Wang said. “Speech gives students the power to tell their stories, speak out on issues they care about and develop confidence that carries over into every part of their lives. This year, we’ve had students advocate on a variety of issues like the Asian-American identity, the policing of women’s bodies and even the impact of the California wildfires. Watching students grow into articulate and thoughtful individuals is the most rewarding part of coaching.”
Speech Team member Esther Goldman ’26, who qualified for the TOC, said she enjoys speech because it allows her to share her beliefs on important subjects.
“I do a form of speech where we get a topic 30 minutes before and prepare a seven- minute speech in that time frame,” Goldman said. “I enjoy that format because I get to present on a wide variety of topics and think quickly. I was really grateful for the opportunity to both qualify and attend the TOC. Being able to interact with people who have the same interests as I do was a very fun and exciting experience.”
Speech Team student leader Sally Ramberg ’26 said she cherished the supportive community and gratification that being a part of the Speech Team has given her.
“I’m a leader on the team, so I get to introduce all of the new kids to it as well,” Ramberg said. “Everyone’s really upbeat and helpful, and it’s not internally competitive. It’s a wonderful environment, and it felt extremely validating to make it to the TOC. The uncertainty was very stressful, [because] I didn’t want to feel like I put so much time into it for nothing.”
Debate Team member Daniel Baek ’26 said that qualifying for the TOC is the ultimate achievement for competitors across the country.
“The TOC is the culmination of all the effort that speakers and debaters put in throughout the year,” Baek said. “For many competitors, it is the pinnacle of their career. If you do well at the TOC, then that means you are the best debater for that division in the entire nation. I am so proud of my teammates [Presentations Managing Editor] William Liu ’25 and Kaison Maruyama ’27 for making it to the TOC.”
