Several Speech and Debate members recently competed in the California State Speech and Debate Championship. A total of six students qualified for the competitions. These members include Gabriela Huerta, Sharan Ghotra, Cindy Lemus Saldana, Mariah Simmons, Margaret Kalashian and Valeria Aceves.
Sophomore Margaret Kalashian came back from the State Championship with fourth place in Dramatic Interpretation, a category in speech which consists of a performative interpretation of an excerpt of dialogue taken from literature.
Over the past few months, these students have rigorously practiced speeches and debate topics in preparation for State.
Club historian, Cindy Lemus Saldana, states that she is very excited for what’s to come. “Since I’ll be competing in Congressional Debate, it gives me an opportunity to improvise and speak on issues where I can really shine,” said Saldana.
Speech and debate provides many opportunities for students to improve their debate and public speaking skills. Saldana hopes to use the skills she has learned in speech and debate to pursue a career in criminal law.
Alexis Rico, club President, hopes to utilize his experience in speech and debate to achieve success and notoriety within his niche.
“Within Speech and Debate I have risen through the ranks to become president and have made connections with people from nearly all competitive schools in the league,” said Rico.
Saldana has expressed how this club has assisted herself not only in her academics but also in her networking.
“I’ve enjoyed the connections I’ve made over the years. I feel the club was a foundation for me to meet different people in Sanger and even outside of school. It’s like a second family,” said Saldana.
Club Advisor, Summer Calandra, has spent a total of five years with Sanger’s speech and debate team.
At the time of writing, Calandra stated her well wishes for her students before they competed in state.
“Our team is very excited and everyone is encouraged to represent Sanger High School to the best of their abilities,” said Calandra.