Community Corner
Emerson Middle School Speech+Debate Team Shines in First Tournament of the Year!
On October 24, Emerson Middle School’s Speech+Debate students went to the first Southern California Junior Forensics League tournament of the year at Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel. This was the largest middle school tournament in the country, with some 300 students from thirteen schools competing. Thirty-five Emerson students competed in five categories (Spontaneous Argument, Storytelling, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, and Expository Speaking). The students who did not compete this time cheered on their teammates and took lots of notes in preparation for the next tournament on December 14, 2013.
Five of the Emerson 8th graders to compete broke into the final round with three of the students taking home trophies in multiple categories. This is the first year that 7thgraders also are competing on the team. Seven of the Emerson 7th graders to compete broke into the final round with two winning trophies in the Storytelling category.
The team is coached by English teacher Lily Parker along with assistant coach and national college champion Iain Lampert, a student at UCLA. Parker and Lampert teamed up to coach Emerson’s inaugural team last year. The team won over twenty trophies throughout the course of the year and two members advanced to the national competition in June.
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The Speech+Debate team is very grateful for the generous support from its key community sponsors. FOWLA (Friends of West LA) has supported the team for the second year in a row and Brighter Minds Tutoring is a new sponsor. Go to www.thepacesite.com and click on the sponsorship link to learn how you can support the Speech+Debate team and other programs at Emerson Middle School.
NEXT EMERSON CAMPUS TOUR: Thursday, November 14, 2013
Arrive by 8:15 a.m. to park. Presentation begins in library at 8:30 a.m.
