Anderson S&D 2021 Season Showcase!
Join us as we celebrate the Anderson Speech and Debate Team!
Welcome!
Captain's Welcome
Dylan's Remarks
Zoe's Remarks
Hi, everyone! For those of you I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the years, I miss seeing you in person so much. Although I wish our time on the team could have ended under different circumstances, I am extremely proud of all the hard work we have put into keeping the team spirit alive. Seniors, we have truly come so far as a class and as leaders. There is not a better group of people I could have asked for to help guide the team through this year. The skills we learn, practice, and apply within the speech and debate community are powerful and I know we will take them into college and life beyond. While competitive success plays a huge role in the accomplishments of Anderson Speech and Debate, the positive group dynamic, personal and professional relationships, and growth of everyone on the team has always held my focus. I have always viewed competitive successes as byproducts of these uplifting interactions and willingness to help one another, and it speaks volumes about our team. I am so proud to know each of you and I can’t wait to hear about the team’s growth and accomplishments in the years to come. Thank you for allowing me the honor of being your co-captain this year, and for everything each of you has done to make this team the very best!
Speech Event Demonstrations
Interpretation
Interpretation is the adaptation of a written text, fictional or nonfictional, for a spoken performance. Depending on the type or interpretation, competitors may read from a manuscript, use movement, and implement physical or vocal characterization to tell the story more effectively. One of our senior Interpretation officers , Giana Martinez will be presenting an excerpt of a dramatic interpretation performance.
Giana had one of the most successful seasons in the speech teams' history. She qualified for the Tournament of Champions in Dramatic Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation. Throughout the season, Giana reached finals at tournaments across the state and nation including Harvard, University of Texas, Grapevine, and the Tournament of Champions.
Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking is an event where a competitor prepares a speech over a randomly selected current events topic in 30 minutes. The student is expected to deliver this speech without any memory aides and with little to no fluency breaks. Our senior extemp officer, Natalie Benevides will present an abbreviated extemp speech.
Natalie Benevides had a successful season this year with local and state level success. She qualified for State in Domestic extemporaneous speaking and reached finals at tournaments across the state. She also reached quarterfinals at TFA State making top 30 in the state in her event.
Public Address
Public Address events are speeches completely written by the students to inform or persuade an audience. A student may use rhetoric, humor, or visual aids to enhance the effectiveness of their message. One of our co-captains, Zoe Vardys, will be present an excerpt of a public address speech.
Debate Event Descriptions
Public Forum Debate
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Cross Examination Debate
Season Recap
This year, Anderson had one of the most successful seasons in the team’s history. It was recognized as one of the 100 largest teams in the nation by the National Speech and Debate Association at the beginning of the season. We qualified 29 students for the Texas Forensic Association’s State tournament and were recognized as one of the ten most successful teams in the state. The team qualified 5 students to the NSDA National Tournament. The team also qualified twelve students to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation. The team competed in remote tournaments hosted across the country and students advanced to late out rounds at all national circuit tournaments the team attended. Highlights include Dylan Canyon and Will Erard reaching finals in PF at the UT Longhorn Classic, sophomore Ilan Ben-Navi being recognized as the top speaker in PF at the TFA State Tournament, Brett Cryan reaching quarterfinals at TFA State, Giana Martinez winning 3rd place at the Tournament of Champions in Dramatic Interpretation, and Lara Borges winning 4th place in Informative Speaking at the Florida Blue Key Tournament.
Senior Bios
Zoe Vardys
Zoe has been a member of the Speech and Debate team since freshman year. She has qualified for the 2020 and 2021 Tournament of Champions in Informative Speaking, the 2020 and 2021 National Individual Events Tournament of Champions in Informative Speaking, and the 2020 and 2021 National Speech and Debate Association Tournament in Informative Speaking and Original Oratory, respectively. She started her career doing interp events but learned to love writing and performing Public Address speeches, and made the full switch to PA. Outside of debate, she's enjoyed time in Student Council and Key Club, spending time with her friends, and going outsiders be active. Some of Zoe’s favorite memories on the Speech and Debate team were watching her teammates compete in out rounds and visiting the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. She plans to attend The University of Texas at Austin in the fall as a psychology major.
Dylan Canyon
Mark Foster
Will Erard
Ron Keihn
Ari Karchmer
Mattaniah Short
Ellee Stein
Natalie Benevides
Elijah Kleinman
Isabel Tomkins
Matty Hamilton
Leila Garica
Claire Lupul
Yaseen Eleyan
Giana Martinez
Senior Video
Coach Remarks
Coach Jennings' Remarks
Coach Harvey's Remarks
Squad:
Last May, in anticipation of our first-ever virtual Showcase, I couldn’t quite figure out what to say. The school year (and our season) was ending in a strange and unfortunate way, but we’d gotten through it together. Surely there was light at the end of the tunnel, and we wouldn’t have to endure much more of whatever this was. And, well, here we are.
The challenges of the past year have been unprecedented for our team, our school, and for the whole world. Yet, in the face of uncertainty and near-impossible odds you have persevered and completed a tremendous season. Anderson remained a top-ten school for TFA State qualifications, broke more Trojans to State elimination rounds than ever before, and for the first time in school history claimed the Top Speaker award in Public Forum Debate. You championed or reached final rounds at eight national-circuit competitions, and achieved our best-ever finish at the Tournament of Champions. You remained the most well-rounded and successful overall speech & debate team in the Austin area, and earned local tournament wins in nearly every event.
While you won a lot this season, however, your competitive success paled in comparison to your commitment to each other. During a year when many of you never even shared a room with your teammates, you advanced the values and maintained the connections that make our team so special. You welcomed your new teammates as though they were long-lost family members, offered support and encouragement during the most exciting and most difficult times, and reaffirmed our commitment to diversity, inclusion, wellness, and open dialogue through your creation of and participation in our new Leadership Council. I’m always proud of our team, but at the end of this extraordinary year I’ve never been more so.
While we can’t be sure what the future holds, as more of us are vaccinated and life slowly creeps into a “new normal” I can say with cautious optimism that we’re only a few short months away from being together in person. I want you all to revel in the joy of that moment when it happens, but I never want you to forget the lessons of the past year. Despite the fierce independence of adolescence and the pride so many take in self-sufficiency, please remember never to take your friends and family for granted. Champion the example of our team in your everyday lives to show the value of being a part of something bigger than yourselves, especially when confronting obstacles. And remember that through it all, the home fire of our team remained a beacon and reminder that good things and good people can light our way through the darkest nights.
Congratulations on a terrific season, and thank you all for reminding me everyday why my job and our team are so special. I love and appreciate you guys.
-Harvey
Where to Find Us
Email: miguel.harvey@austnisd.org
Website: https://www.instagram.com/andersonspeechdebate/
Twitter: @AHSSpeech
2020-2021 Team Sponsors
2020-21 Booster Club Members and Donors
The Rawashdah Family
Jane and Marc Stein
The Yalamanchili Family
The Arteaga Family
The Benavi Family
The Damer-Molinowski-Canyon Family
The Domsch Family
The Foster Family
The Field Family
The Gossett Family
The Hamilton Family
The Howlett Family
The Hull Family
The Kiehn Family
The Moorehead-Russell Family
The Morgan Family
Sheila and Jack Stein
The Benevides Family
The Erard Family
The Meachum Family
The Padden Family
The Stewart-Klein Family
The Aramov Family
The Brotherton Family
The Gibson Family
The Hasbrouck Family
The Kester Family
The Lind Family
The Tisdale Family
The Villareal Family