The Jesters competed at the Peach State Classic, hosted by Carrollton HS, this past weekend. 40 schools from 7 states participated. It was a great tournament for the Jesters, with 20 entries receiving awards! Here are results:

Varsity LD Results

Close out in Semis: Kelly Tran, C0-CHAMPION; Aran Sonnad-Joshi, CO-CHAMPION; Lauren Scaffidi, CO-CHAMPION;

Peter Haynes, CO-CHAMPION

JV LD Results

Fiona Bray, 1st CHAMPION; Will Roberts, 3rd Place

Novice LD Results

Emma Tureman, CHAMPION

Informative Speaking

Nora Ball, CHAMPION; Matthew Vincent, 4th Place

JV Public Forum Debate

Shalin Bhatia & Millan Gupta, CO- CHAMPIONS; Charlie Suazo & Abby Hyken, CO-CHAMPIONS

Extemporaneous Speaking
Ava Smith, CHAMPION
Oliver Gray, 2nd Place
Bryant Hodgson, 3rd Place
Henry Carter, 6th Place

Impromptu Speaking
Ava Smith, CHAMPION
Oliver Gray, 2nd Place
Bryant Hodgson, 4th Place
Sayan Sonnad-Joshi, 6th Place

Thanks for you continued support!

Congrats to the Jesters who competed “in” Georgia and Iowa this weekend! We were at the Sequoyah HS Autumn Argument in Canton and the Des Moines Tournavelt in Iowa. Results:

Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Fiona Bray- CHAMPION
Novice Public Forum Debate, Jed Roseman & Charlotte Keenan- CO-CHAMPIONS
Impromptu Speaking, Oliver Gray, 6th Place; Ava Smith- CHAMPION
Informative Speaking, Nora Ball- CHAMPION
Extemporaneous Speaking, Ava Smith- 6th Place; Oliver Gray- 4th Place
Original Oratory, Salaam Awad- 6th Place
Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate (Iowa), Aran Sonnad-Joshi- 3rd Place; Kelly Tran, 2nd Place

In South Carolina last weekend at the Bob Jones Academy tournament. Results:

Extemporaneous Speaking, Ava Smith- 4th Place; Oliver Gray, 2nd Place
Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Harry Cook- 6th Place
Informative Speaking, Nora Ball, 5th Place
Varsity Public Forum Debate, Cole Parker and Duncan Tanner, 4th Place

Thanks for your continued support!

Open Public Forum
2nd Place- Jack H and Walker L
3rd Place- Shalin B and Millan G
3rd Place Speaker- Shalin B
4th Place Speaker- Millan G
6th Place Speaker- Jack H

Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate
1st Place- Zakai P
2nd Place- Will R

Open Lincoln-Douglas Debate
1st Place- Kelly T
2nd Place- Dorien L
3rd Place- Peter H
4th Place- Lauren S
5th Place- Aran S
1st Place Speaker- Kelly T
2nd Place Speaker- Lauren S
3rd Place Speaker- Dorien L
4th Place Speaker- Aran S

Nice job Jesters!!

The Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu squads had a fantastic showing at GFCA State last weekend.

Congrats to Bryant Hodgson, Extemp Semifinalist; Ava Smith, 5th in Extemp; Maeve Malaney-Lau, 3rd in Extemp; Oliver Gray, 2nd in Extemp; George Lefkowicz, CHAMPION!

And in Impromptu, George Lefkowicz, 2nd Place; Lucia Fernandez, CHAMPION!

Congratulations to the Orators and Info speakers for their fantastic showing at the 2021 GFCA Varsity State Championships!

Their hard work and dedication paid off, no small feat in the midst of a pandemic. Being able to share information, experiences and thoughts with others is the hallmark of any speaking event and these Jesters proved their mettle.

Great job, and congrats to Matthew Vincent, 4th in Informative; Nora Ball, 3rd in Informative Speaking, Salaam Awad, 3rd in Original Oratory and Lucia Fernandez, captain of Oratory/Informative and STATE CHAMPION in Original Oratory.

Congratulations to the Grady Jesters

Varsity State Champions for the 12th Year in a Row!

What a weekend and what a way to close out the final season as the GRADY Jesters!

First, let me say congratulations to Dr. Betsy Bockman, named Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Forensics Coaches Association! A well-deserved honor indeed. Thank you for your continued support!

This past weekend, the Jesters won their 12th GFCA Varsity State Championship in a row! Every single competition attended this year was virtual, as was the State Tournament. The fortitude, dedication and talent of this team is without measure. Their hard work paid off!

Here is how we fared in individual events:

Public Forum Debate: Elena Hubert and Everett Stubin, Runners-up; Griffin Richie, 9th Speaker

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Peter Haynes, Quarterfinalist; Lauren Scaffidi, Semifinalist; Aran Sonnad-Joshi, 5th Speaker; Kelly Tran, 3rd Speaker

Informative Speaking: Matthew Vincent, 4th Place; Eleanor Ball, 3rd Place

Impromptu Speaking: George Lefkowicz, 2nd Place; Lucia Fernandez, CHAMPION

Original Oratory: Salaam Awad, 3rd Place; Lucia Fernandez, CHAMPION

Extemporaneous Speaking: Bryant Hodgson, Semifinalist; Ava Smith, 5th Place; Maeve Malaney-Lau, 3rd Place; Oliver Gray, 2nd Place; George Lefkowicz, CHAMPION

Varsity Student Congress: 4th Place, Nicolas Kamel; Ava Smith, 2nd Place; George Lefkowicz, CHAMPION

A HUGE thank you to our Parent Boosters who provided yard signs and lunch for all competitors as well as help to create an atmosphere of support. We really couldn’t do it without you!

And thanks to the staff at Grady High School for your support as well. It means a lot.

Look for highlights on each event and category on Twitter, FaceBook, and GradySpeaks.com over the coming weeks.

Mario Herrera