GradySpeaks » announcements http://gradyspeaks.org The official site of the nationally ranked, award-winning Henry W. Grady Speech and Debate Team Thu, 10 May 2012 15:30:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 CatNats Information http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/05/catnats-information/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/05/catnats-information/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 15:30:26 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1624

Information about our trip to Baltimore, MD for the National Catholic Forensic League’s “Grand Nationals” Tournament can be found by CLICKING HERE!

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/05/catnats-information/feed/ 0 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/national-champions/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/national-champions/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:45:54 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1618

Babatunde, Aaron, James Roland, Ben and Holden at the NAUDL Nationals 2012

Henry W. Grady High School’s own policy debate team of Holden Choi and Ben Dean won their final round against the talented Baltimore City College School to win the Championship of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues! Schools from all over the nation competed in the tournament on the campus of Georgetown University over the weekend of April 13-15. The Atlanta Urban Debate League, directed by James Roland of Emory University, had two teams representing  Atlanta Public Schools- Holden and Ben from Grady HS, and Babatunde Woodard-James and Aaron Jones from North Atlanta High School. Great job, debaters- you made Atlanta Public Schools, the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia proud. The Jesters could not be happier for the team, or more proud of their accomplishments!

Holden and Ben, along with Isabelle Taft, were interviewed about their successes and their thoughts about speech and debate in an interview hosted by WABE radio, an NPR member station. To hear this fantastic interview, visit the PBA website by clicking here!

Ben, Isabelle and Holden being interviewed by WABE radio

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/national-champions/feed/ 0 STATE CHAMPIONS!! http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/state-champions/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/state-champions/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:05:55 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1609

The Jesters were named the 2012 Overall Champions at the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association State Varsity Championships, the third time in as many years for the Jesters .   The tournament was held March 9-10, 2012, at The Westminster Schools. Congratulations and thank you to all parents, alumni and Grady High School faculty and staff for helping achieve this amazing accomplishment.

A special congratulations to the following students who advanced to elimination rounds at the tournament:

Ben Dean and Holden Choi- Semifinalists, Policy Debate

Jessica Alexander- Semifinalist, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Jamie Reid- Quarterfinalist, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Rachel Citrin- Quarterfinalist, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Grace Power and Olivia Veira- Quaterfinalists, Public Forum Debate

Sarah Dillard- 5th Place, Prose/Poetry

Qri Montague- 4th Place, Prose/Poetry

Jahra Gholston- 2nd Place, Prose/Poetry

MARIUS JACKSON- CHAMPION, PROSE/POETRY

Rex Petersen- 4th Place, Humorous Interp

Quameeha Grandoit- 2nd Place, Dramatic Interp

Jahra Gholston and Marius Jackson- 2nd Place, Duo Interp

Mallory Akard- 3rd Place, Original Oratory

ISABELLE TAFT- CHAMPION, IMPROMPTU SPEAKING

Ben Simonds-Malamud- 6th Place, Extemporaneous Speaking

ISABELLE TAFT- CHAMPION, EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING

2nd Place Sweepstakes, Debate

1st Place Sweepstakes, Speech

OVERALL CHAMPION- 1ST PLACE SWEEPSTAKES!

 

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/state-champions/feed/ 0 Qualified to NFL Nationals! http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/qualified-to-nfl-nationals/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/qualified-to-nfl-nationals/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:51:58 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1605

Congratulations to the Jesters advancing to NFL Nationals in Indianapolis, IN, June 10-15.  WELL DONE!

Isabelle Taft, International Extemporaneous Speaking

Rex Petersen, Dramatic Interpretation

Marius Jackson, Duo Interpretation

Jahra Gholston, Duo Interpretation

Tiger Li, Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Zoe Hamilton, Policy Debate

Samantha Chiang, Policy Debate

Ben Dean, Policy Debate

Holden Choi, Policy Debate

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/04/qualified-to-nfl-nationals/feed/ 0 GEORGIA NORTHERN MOUNTAIN UP/DOWN LIST http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/georgia-northern-mountain-updown-list/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/georgia-northern-mountain-updown-list/#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 04:58:35 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1599 THE UP/DOWN LIST FOR ROUND 2 WILL BE POSTED FRIDAY NIGHT ASAP

NOTE: Because of a computer glitch (of course), Up/Down results for Individual events and Duo will be announced LATE tonight. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

How this system works: Entries with either one down or two downs are listed. If your name is not on this list, it means you are two “ups” and should plan on competed at least two more rounds. Two downs in any event mean out of the tournament.

AFTER ROUND TWO

Policy Debate

Down One (Still in the tournament):  2- Bearden/Marshall; 4- Pack/Simpson-Jiles; 4- Zapata/Mauro;

8- Chiang/Hamilton; 10- Woodward-James/ Jones; 13- Harrison-Gazmararian; 14- Hamil-Chabot

16- Patel-Saunders

Two Downs and Out:  4- Nguyen/Sohail; 10- Abayomi/Osazee;14- White/Miller

Public Forum

One Down (Still in the tournament) 2- Eomhd-Grant; 7- Pham/Rice

Two Downs and Out  4- Conn/X; 4- Sufian/Cuarenta; 6- Barker/Kim; 7- Jin/Gupta; 8- Volkert/Mulholland; 9- Mgbeke/Chiang; 9- Taylor/Anderson

LD Debate

One Down (still in the tournament)  4- Stojkic; 7- Allen; 7- Cotto-Quin; 8- Schneider

Two Downs and out ; 1- Zheng; 1- Rehklau; 4- Austin; 11- Krohn

Domestic Extemp

1 Down (still in the tournament)- ; 7- Meroni; 15- Carduso

2 DOWNS AND OUT ; 4- Samuda; 8- Reid; 15- Schweitzer; 15- Eaglen; 15- Pradhan

International Extemp

ONE DOWN (STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT); 4- Logsdon; 8- Skandari

TWO DOWNS AND OUT ; 1- Rehklau; 1- Hincapie; 1- Guadelupe; 4- Abid; 9- Taylor

Original Oratory

ONE DOWN (STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT); 4- Villanueva; 5- Shultz

TWO DOWNS AND OUT: 4- Maraschiello; 4- Samuda; 8- Shah; 8- Li; 9- Hunter; 9- Anderson

Duo Interp

ONE DOWN (STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT)’ 8- Dean/Veira; 8- Ogg/Power;

TWO DOWNS AND OUT: ; 7- Jin/Gupta; 7- Cotto-Quin/Allen; 8- Shah/Simonds-Malamud

Dramatic Interp

ONE DOWN (STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT);1- Hooks;14- Williams;

TWO DOWNS AND OUT: 8- Switzer; 9- Mgbeke;9- Hunter;12- Holmes;12- Williams;12- Cortez;14- Stuart

Humorous Interp

ONE DOWN (STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT) ;1- Mahan ; 4- Abid; 5- Shultz; 8- Petersen

TWO DOWNS AND OUT: 4- Villanueva; 12- Jones; 12- Williams; 12- Anderson; 12- Holmes

Please call Mario Herrera with any questions- 404.242.2297

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/georgia-northern-mountain-updown-list/feed/ 0 NFL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/1595/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/1595/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:47:31 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1595 Thanks to all parents who have agreed to drive this weekend! We are in the home stretch. This tournament determines who represents the top speakers and debaters from north Georgia. The top two entries in each event will attend the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Indianapolis in June. Thanks to all Jesters attending. In order to assure the district sends two in each event, the tournament must have a certain number of entries. Additionally, each school can only send a maximum of four in each event, and a total number of entries based upon the size of the school. Because of our strength, Grady is the largest in the district and state, and can therefore send the most.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING DROPPED-OFF AND PICKED UP FOR THIS TOURNAMENT. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DRIVE OR ARE UNABLE TO DROP OFF OR PICK UP YOUR CHILD, EMAIL MARIE KILLORY IMMEDIATELY!

Here is the list of students attending the NFL Qualifier this weekend at Central-Gwinnett HS on Friday and Saturday. ENTRY FEES ARE $15.00 AN ENTRY. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: GRADY HS FORENSICS PARENT BOOSTERS.

Student IX DX OO HI DI DUO LD PF CX
Mallory Akard DX OO
Anna Braxton IX
Samantha Chiang B
Holden Choi A
Rachel Citrin LD
Daniel Dahler C
Benjamin Dean A
Emily Dean IX
Samantha Dean D A
Jahra Gholston B
Quameeha Grandoit DI
Zoe Hamilton B
Sam Heller C
Marius Jackson OO B
Salome Kakalashvili C
R. Tiger Li OO LD
Rachel Libman DX
Quinn Mulholland D
Lauren Ogg C B
Rex Peterson HI DI
Grace Power C B
Maxx Rabb DX
James Reid LD
Zoe Schneider LD
Cheyn Shah OO E
Ben Simmonds-Malamud DX E
Omar Skandari IX
Ryan Switzer DI
Isabelle Taft IX
Olivia Veira D A
Olivia Volkert D
Katherine Zakharova C
IX DX OO HI DI DUO LD PF CX
Totals (students) 4 4 4 1 3 8 4 8 6

 

Total STUDENTS: 32

 

And the schedule: 

Georgia Northern Mountain 2012 NFL District Tournament
February 24-25, 2012
Central Gwinnett HS, Lawrenceville, GA
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE- IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW THE SCHEDULE COMPLETELY. COMPETITORS SHOULD REMAIN CLOSE TO POSTINGS AS THE TOURNAMENT PROGRESSES.

 

Friday, February 24, 2012

4:00pm-           Registration

4:30pm-           Extemp Prep

4:45pm-           Round One, IE’s and Duo

5:45pm-           Round One, All Debate

7:30pm-           Round Two, IE’s and Duo

8:45pm-           Round Two, All Debate
Saturday, February 25, 2012

8:00am-           Round Three, All Debate

10:00am-         Extemp Prep

10:30am-         Round Three, IE’s and Duo

11:30pm-         Round Four, All Debate

1:30pm-           Extemp Prep

2:00pm-           Round Four, IE’s and Duo

3:00pm-           Round Five, All Debate

5:00pm-           Extemp Prep

5:30pm-           Round Five, IE’s and Duo

6:30pm-           Round Six, Debate

8:30pm-           Awards

9:00pm-           Remaining Debate rounds

Here is how this tournament works:

The Up/Down System

The tournament utilizes an “Up-Down” system.  In debate, this means that that after two losses, the debater/team is out of the tournament.  The tournament continues until the top two debaters (assuming entry requirements and rules are followed) are left standing.  There is NO way to know exactly how many rounds will be required, but I can tell you that it is exciting to see how all debaters progress!  As far as individual events go, they also use an “Up-Down” system.  In these events, students must place in the top half of their competition rooms to receive an “Up.”  If they place in the bottom half of the room, they receive a “Down.”  In a room of 5 competitors, the top 3 competitors receive an “Up.”  In a room of 7, four contestants are only marked up IF there is a tie of some type.  Exact rules can be found in the District Tournament Manual.  The number of rounds is determined by the math: we are in the final rounds of individual events when there are six competitors in the round.

This means that some students will not be competing on Saturday. This information will not be know until after the last round Friday in most events. Students will be able to inform parents at that point. I know this is a late Friday for everyone, especially parents and students. The nature of this tournament is governed by the National Forensic League and rules MUST be followed. If it becomes too late, we will not have the round. 

 
]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/1595/feed/ 0 Harvard-bound http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/harvard-bound/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/harvard-bound/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:21:56 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1579 Good luck to the Jesters as they head to Cambridge, MA, for the Harvard Invitational. 325 schools from around the country will be competing this weekend, and we’ll be right in the mix! Members attending this weekend include Lauren Ogg, Grace Power, Sammi Dean, Olivia Veira, Rachel Citrin, Jamie Reid, Tiger Li, Isabelle Taft, Quameeha Grandoit, Rex Petersen, Mallory Akard, Jahra Gholston, Marius Jackson, Holden Choi, Ben Dean, Sam Heller and Zoe Hamilton. Good luck to all, and remember to stay warm!

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/harvard-bound/feed/ 0 CFL Qualifier at Marist School RESULTS http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/cfl-qualifier-at-marist-school-this-weekend/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/cfl-qualifier-at-marist-school-this-weekend/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:12:36 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1564 All of the following students have qualified for the Grand Nationals in Baltimore, MD, over Memorial Day Weekend.  CONGRATS!!

Lauren Ogg- Public Forum Debate; Grace Power- Public Forum Debate; Sammi Dean- Public Forum Debate; Olivia Veira- Public Forum Debate; Salome Kakashivili- Public Forum Debate; Katherine Zakharova- Public Forum Debate; Jamie Reid- Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Tiger Li- Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Rachel Citrin- Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Mallory Akard- Original Oratory; Isabelle Taft- Extemporaneous Speaking; Ben Simonds-Malamud- Extemporaneous Speaking; Rex Petersen- Dramatic Performance; Ryan Switzer- Dramatic Performance; Qri Montague- Prose/Poetry; Khadijah Brown- Prose/Poetry; Jahra Gholston- Duo Interp: Marius Jackson- Duo Interp; Ben Dean- Policy Debate; Zoe Hamilton- Policy Debate

 

The Jesters are headed to the Catholic Forensic League National Qualifier this Saturday, February 11, 2012. Students are responsible for their own rides to and from the tournament. If students either need rides or if parents are willing to carpool on Saturday, please let us know ASAP. Cost for this tournament is $10.00/student.  Everyone should be at Marist by 8:30am and plan on staying through awards at 6:00pm. There are no elimination rounds at the tournament, so the schedule will be shorter than an average tournament.  The parent permission form can be found by CLICKING HERE!

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/cfl-qualifier-at-marist-school-this-weekend/feed/ 0 First Year/State State Tournament- RESULTS http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/first-yearstate-state-tournament/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/first-yearstate-state-tournament/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:39:05 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1552 CONGRATULATIONS to the Jesters for another fine performance at the First/Second Year State Speech and Debate Tournament! Here is how we fared:

Novice Duo Interpretation:  Ryan Switzer and Deya Bowers- 2nd Place;  Novice Prose/Poetry: Qri Montague- CHAMPION; Novice Extemporaneous Speaking: Max Rabb- 3rd Place, Emily Dean- 2nd Place, Rachel Libman- CHAMPION; Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Tiger Li- Quarterfinalist; Novice Public Forum Debate: Alice Antia & Penelope Realff- Quarterfinalists; Quinn Mulholland and Olivia Volkert- Semifinalists; Riley Erickson and Ellen Ericson- CHAMPIONS; 7th Place Speaker- Quinn Mulholland; 3rd Speaker- Olivia Volkert; 2nd Speaker- Riley Erickson; JV Public Forum Debate: Kathy Zakharova & Salome Kakalashvili- CHAMPIONS; 8th Place Speaker- Sammi Dean; 6th Place Speaker- Grace Powers; 5th Place Speaker- Becca Martin; 3rd Place Speaker- Katherine Zakharova; 1st Place Speaker- Salome Kakalashvili. JV Lincoln-Douglas Debate- Jamie Reid, 2nd Place~!WONDERFUL JOB, JESTERS! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

We are off this weekend to Gainesville State College for the First and Second Year State Championships! This is a two day tournament for the team, with a cost of $30.00 per student. We leave at noon on Friday, February 3, 2012. The parent permission form, and additional information, is found by CLICKING HERE! A big THANK YOU to the Booster Club for providing our transportation and entry fees!

]]> http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/02/first-yearstate-state-tournament/feed/ 0 North Fulton Cup Winners http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/01/north-fulton-cup-winners/ http://gradyspeaks.org/2012/01/north-fulton-cup-winners/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:09:49 +0000 Mario Herrera http://gradyspeaks.org/?p=1533

The North Fulton tournaments created a series of awards for sustained success by individual students/teams at the 5 North Fulton tournaments: Chattahoochee HS, Johns Creek HS, Alpharetta HS, Northview HS, and Milton HS.  The coaches of North Fulton County schools have created 4 awards that will be handed out at the GFCA Varsity State Tournament awards ceremony. The Jesters won three of the four awards:

The Jim Wade Award: Given to the student that performs the best in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.- CONGRATS TO RACHEL CITRIN FOR WINNING THIS AWARD!!

The Ted Wolfe Award: Given to the student that performs the best in Individual Events. CONGRATS TO ISABELLE TAFT FOR WINNING THIS AWARD!!

The Steve Stein Award: Given to the team that performs the best in Policy Debate. CONGRATS TO HOLDEN CHOI AND BEN DEAN FOR WINNING THIS AWARD!!

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