Westwood students take third at State Speech and Debate Tournament

Continuing the program’s tradition of excellence, 60 Westwood High School students competed at the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) State Speech and Debate Tournament in Houston in March.

Taking home one of the top prizes was Vikas Burugu and Daniel Shi who placed third in Varsity Policy (CX) Debate.

“Over the tournament weekend, our program experienced countless achievements – not only were we one of the top 10 schools in the state in terms of state qualifiers, we also had students reach the semi-finals round of Policy Debate, finals round of Impromptu Speaking, and extremely competitive elimination rounds of both Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas Debates as well as Extemporaneous Speaking,” said Ruishi Wang, Westwood UIL Academic Coordinator. “From supporting and encouraging each other, to helping teammates prepare for their rounds, the students worked tirelessly throughout the tournament to promote a collective atmosphere of team unity.”

The 16 students comprised 41 entries, which is one of the highest in the program’s history and the largest in the state of Texas. Students compete from August to February to qualify for the state tournament. Competitions are a representation of many hours of practice and preparation for respective events.