Fourteen members of the Speech and Debate Team will be flying to Philadelphia June 12 to attend the National Forensic League (NFL) National Tournament.

Six debate students qualified for the National Tournament after placing 1st or 2nd at the District competition Jan. 28-29 in Elkhart. Eight speech members qualified after placing 1st or 2nd at their District competition March 12 in Plymouth.

Catherine Lee and Natalie Moya, sophomores; and Brett Anderson and Heather Phipps, juniors, will compete in Policy Debate, an event in which students dispute a current national question. Rohini Chattergee, junior, and Murad Omery, senior, will participate in the Student Congress portion of the competition, where students compose legislation they feel will improve society.

Joel Barnes and Jordan Barnes, seniors, will perform a Duo Interpretation, a two person presentation of a printed work. Michelle Becka, senior, will demonstrate a Humorous Interpretation, while Chetan Chaubal, senior, will perform a Dramatic Interpretation.

Genevieve Grdina and Phillip Shapiro, seniors, will each present an Original Oratory, an oral presentation given on a topic of their choice. David Pavkovich, senior, will present a Foreign Affairs Extemp speech illustrating an opinion on foreign policy.

The Speech and Debate Team has been performing at the NFL National Tournament since 1965, according to Mrs. Helen Engstrom, Speech and Debate director. Students from around the country will compete in six preliminary rounds, narrowing 200 competitors in each event to six competitors for the finals.

Mr. Michael Gordon, Speech and Debate coach, has noticed a shift in the age of those competing in the debate portion of the program.

"We lost an awful lot of seniors, but gained a huge amount of freshman, which has been fantastic," Mr. Gordon said.

Natalie Moya, sophomore, views traveling to the National Tournament as a considerable achievement.

"My partner and I are really surprised we made it to nationals," Natalie said. "It's a great opportunity to really expand our speaking skills."

Speech and Debate Team president, David Pavkovich, senior, reminisced about his previous trip to the National Tournament.

"The first time I went I learned a whole bunch of important lessons," David said. "As long as you're assertive as you speak, its adds a lot to your credibility."