Two Grads compete at National Speech & Debate Tournament

The National Tournament for the Speech and Debate Association – “Powerful Voices - Meaningful Change” – was held this past June in Broward County, Florida. Over 6,000 students qualified, representing 110 school districts in the United States. Perrysburg High School Class of 2018 Members Kate Lake and Sophie Walcher earned their qualifying invitation in February at the Western Ohio District tournament at Beavercreek High School. They travelled along with Head Coach Debra Kemp and Jennifer Lake to Ft. Lauderdale from June 17 through June 23.

Kate Lake, a four-time state qualifier in Dramatic Interpretation and ranked third in the state overall in 2018, performed “The Amish Project” by Jessica Dickey. Sophie Walcher, a three-year state qualifier and the highest-ranked interpretation competitor in the 19-year history of the Perrysburg chapter, performed a Humorous Interpretation “Tammy: A Coming of Age Story About a Girl Who is Part T-Rex” by Julia Weiss. Both Walcher and Lake finished in the second of five tiers in their prospective categories. Kate Lake will be attending Eastern Michigan University and Sophie Walcher will attend Bowling Green State University. Both plan to continue their work in theatre and to mentor students on the Perrysburg team as alumni coaches.

Head Coach Debra Kemp received recognition from Nationals and was one of 60 coaches earning the designation of a Two-Diamond Coach this year. In addition, the Perrysburg Speech and Debate Team earned the distinction of a Top 100 Club Team for the 2017-18 school year.

The National Speech & Debate Tournament marks the capstone of high school speech and debate activities for nearly 150,000 students, representing 3,400 schools around the country. The National Tournament is the largest academic contest in the world. The National Tournament has run continuously since 1931 and awards students more than $200,000 in college scholarships. Perrysburg High School Speech and Debate team has had 15 national appearances and 27 national qualifiers since re-establishing the Charter in 1999.

For more information on how you can support or be a part of the Perrysburg Team, please contact Head Coach Debra Kemp at [email protected] or visit The National Speech and Debate Association website at www.speechanddebate.org.