Your Voice Matters
Village Middle School Speech & Debate
The Village Middle School Speech and Debate Team is proud to be the top 5 schools in the nation to receive the award for Overall Schools of Excellence in Speech and Debate, Schools of Excellence in Speech, and Schools of Excellence in Debate, an achievement that reflects the hard work and dedication from our coaches and students. With 66 members and counting, our team is one of the most successful in the country, having won numerous local tournaments, state and national titles, with one of our most notable and recent victories, a National Championship title in Storytelling at the 2023 National Speech and Debate Association Tournament! Enhance your public speaking skills by joining our Speech and Debate Team, experience a community like no other, and discover your superpower!
Your tax-deductible gifts and donations allows The Village School Enrichment Organization, a registered 501(c)(3) to maintain that excellence, supporting the team's travel expenses and competition fees, which can sometimes make all the difference in achieving victory. Donations can be designated to benefit the Speech and Debate Team or to the Speech and Debate Scholarship Fund which will offer financial support to promising students who need it the most. Join us for our showcases and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates about the team and follow these extraordinary and passionate speakers and debaters.
"Let your voice carry, and let it carry others." - Wight
"Speech and debate is my superpower." - Anonymous
Our Team
Katherine
Trakhtenbroit
Assistant Lincoln Douglas Coach
2023-24 officers
Speech Co-Captains
Naina Sheth (8th)
Rose Scamaroni (8th)
Debate Captain
Inaya Rahim - LD, PF (8th)
Secretary
Farida Anbar. (8th)
Historians
Ayse Demirbas (7th)
Esmee Jivani (8th)
Congressional Debate Leader
Ishaan Trehan (8th)
Limited Prep Leader
Kabir Rai (7th)
Improvisation Leader
Jaanash Sandhu (8th)
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team members
Abir Dass
Achille Rimoldi
Aira Saini
Amruta Gollakota
Angeli Thurlapati
Anisha Chandra
Annika Patel
Anushna Mohan
Ava Nguyen
Avery Chen
Ayse Demirbas
Barbara Silva Bastidas
Deepika Munnangi
Diya Benny
Ebunoluwa Akintoye
Esmee Jivani
Farida Anbar
Grant Wintermark
Hadi Saeed
Huda Yassir
Inaya Rahim
Ishaan Trehan
Ishwari Patel
Jaanash Sandhu
Jacqueline Kenney
Jiarui Zhang
Kabir Rai
Kingston Yeh
Kyounghwan Shin
Layla Barazi
Leo Geranton
Luci Huynh
Mateo Santana Giacon
Melania Gigliobianco
Mia Mathisen
Mohammed Morkas
Naina Sheth
Nazaha Momin
Ranvir Seshadri
Rhea Chidambaram
Rose Scamaroni
Safiya Gayibova
Sahaj Patel
Saisha Davinder
Samika Sadasivan
Sankarshan Batabyal
Sarah Hwang
Sathwik Allu
Shaila Thurlapati
Shivam Singh
Shritan Chokkarapu
Surya Parikh
Syrena Davinder
Theodor Hatzelmann
Tommy Shin
Vedanth Sriram
Vihaan Venkatesh
Viola Giudici
Vrisan Shah
Willem Jansen
Xavier Kalms
Awards
Awards
NSDA National Championship Tournament @ Phoneix, AZ - June 2023
Village was awarded Overall Schools of Excellence in Speech and Debate, Schools of Excellence in Speech, and Schools of Excellence in Debate
Middle School National Finalists:
Storytelling - Kolade Feyisitan - National Champion
LD Debate - Inaya Rahim - 2nd
Impromptu - Kabir Rai - 2nd
Humorous Interp - Roger Shen - 5th
Prose - Roger Shen - 3rd
Duo Interp -Roger Shen & Jaidan Doshi- 4th
Duo Interp -Sonya Mittal & Anthony Psyllos - 5th
Original Spoken Word Poetry - Tristan Mai - 3rd
Original Spoken Word Poetry - Kolade Feyisitan - 5th
POI - Tristan Mai - 3rd
Semifinalists (Top 12 in Nation):
Prose - Emma Kay - 7th
DI - Rose Scamaroni - 11th
DUO - Emma Kay & Tristan Mai - 7th
Congressional Debate - Ishaan Trehan
Declamation - Sonya Mittal - 9th
Declamation - Naina Sheth - 12th
Impromptu - Kolade Feyisitan - 11th
Quarterfinalists (Top 24 in Nation):
LD Debate - Janvi Natarajan (10th overall speaker in LD)
Impromptu Speaking - Ranvir Seshadri
Storytelling - Sophie Newman
Prose - Sophie Newman
Declamation - Roger Shen
(TJSDA) Texas Junior High School Speech and Debate Association State Tournament @ Alief Elsik High School - May 2023
School Sweepstakes Awards
The Village School - 2nd place
Individual Sweepstakes Award
Emma Kay - 1st Place Sweepstakes Winner
Tristan Mai - 2nd
Kolade Feyistan - 4th
Roger Shen - 5th
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Janvi Natarajan - Quarter-finalist, Best Speaker Gavel
Inaya Rahim - Quarter-finalist
Eshani Gale - Quarter-finalist
Congressional Debate
Ishaan Trahan - 5th
Annabelle Junadi - 12th
Kaitlin Hall - Semi-finalist
Grant Wintermark - Semi-finalist
Alejandro De Leon Gamez - Semi-finalist
Declamation
Roger Shen - State Champion
Naina Sheth - 2nd
Tristan Mai - 3rd
Rose Scaramoni - 4th
Jessica Luo - 6th
Dramatic Interpretation
Sophie Newman - 5th
Rose Scamaroni - Semifinalist
Anthony Psyllos - Semifinalist
Jessica Luo - Semifinalist
Farida Anbar - Semifinalist
Duet Improvisation
Emma Kay and Kolade Feyistan - State Champions
Liz Ovchinnikov and Mia Han - Semifinalist
Naina Sheth and Chidera Onubogu - Semifinalist
Morgan Shaw and Anthony Psyllo - Semifinalist
Duo Interpretation
Emma Kay and Tristan Mai - State Champions
Naina Sheth and Rose Scamaroni - 3rd
Jessica Luo and Morgan Shaw - Semifinalist
Sonya Mittal and Anthony Psyllos - Semifinalist
Sophie Newman and Chidera Onubogu - Semifinalist
Humorous Interpretation
Tristan Mai - 4th
Ayse Demirbas - 6th
Anthony Psyllos - Semifinalist
Kabir Rai - Semifinalist
Janaash Sandhu - Semifinalist
Morgan Shaw - Semifinalist
Impromptu Speaking
Kabir Rai - 4th
Ranvir Sheshadri - Semifinalist
Informative Speaking
Mohammed Morkas - 5th
Kabir Rai - 6th
Original Oratory
Kabir Rai - 6th
Original Spoken Word Poetry
Emma Kay - 2nd
Kolade Feyistan - 3rd
Naina Sheth - Semifinalist
Farida Anbar - Semifinalist
Jaidan Doshi - Semifinalist
Rose Scamaroni - Semifinalist
Poetry Interpretation
Tristan Mai - State Champion
Emma Kay - 4th
Morgan Shaw - Semifinalist
Program Oral Interpretation
Esmee Jivani - 3rd
Prose Interpretation
Roger Shen - 3rd
Sophie Newman - Semifinalist
Storytelling
Kolade Feyistan - State Champion
Ayse Demirbas - 2nd
Roger Shen - 3rd
Sophi Newman - Semifinalist
Jaidan Doshi - Semifinalist
Olle Owl Invitational @ Olle Middle School - Feb. 2023
School Sweepstakes Award
The Village School - 1st place
Amber Bonner-Mackey Spirit Award
Annabelle Junadi
Individual Sweepstakes Award by Ernest M. Evans II
Tristan Mai - Winner
Emma Kay - 2nd
Roger Shen - 5th
Congressional Debate
Kaitlin Hall - 9th Place
Annabelle Junadi - 9th Place
LD Debate
Janvi Natarajan - Champion
Eshani Gale - 3rd Place
Gayatri Khade - Quarterfinalist
Inaya Rahim - Quarterfinalist
Declamation
Roger Shen - Champion
Jessica Luo - 2nd Place
Chidera Onubogu - 3rd Place
Naina Sheth - 4th Place
Sonya Mittal - 5th Place
Humorous Interpretation
Roger Shen - 2nd Place
Morgan Shaw - 3rd Place
Anthony Psyllos - 4th Place
Sophie Newman - 5th Place
Extemporaneous Speaking
Kaitlin Hall - Semifinalist
Eshani Gale - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
Sophie Newman - Champion
Farida Anbar - 3rd Place
Roger Shen - 5th Place
Sonya Mittal - 6th Place
Jaidan Doshi - Semifinalist
Program Oral Interpretation
Tristan Mai - 2nd Place
Original Spoken Word Poetry
Tristan Mai - Champion
Storytelling
Roger Shen - Champion
Tristan Mai - 2nd Place
Kolade Feyisitan - 4th Place
Ayse Demirbas - 6th Place
Jaidan Doshi - Semifinalist
Sophie Newman - Semifinalist
Junior Prose
Farida Anbar - 6th Place
Senior Prose
Roger Shen - Champion
Sophie Newman - 2nd Place
Emma Kay - 3rd Place
Junior Poetry
Morgan Shaw - 4th Place
Senior Poetry
Emma Kay - Champion
Tristan Mai - 3rd Place
Roger Shen - Semifinalist
Duet Improvisation
Kolade Feyisitan & Emma Kay - Champions
Naina Sheth & Rose Scamaroni - 3rd Place
Ishwari Patel & Mohammed Morkas - Semifinalists
Liz Ovchinnikov & Mia Han - Semifinalists
Jaidan Doshi & Jaanash Sandhu - Semifinalists
Solo Improvisation
Jessica Luo - 2nd Place
Anthony Psyllos - 3rd Place
Emma Kay - 5th Place
Sophie Newman - Semifinalist
Liz Ovchinnikov - Semifinalist
Duo Interpretation
Tristan Mai & Emma Kay - Champions
Naina Sheth & Rose Scamaroni - 2nd Place
Morgan Shaw & Jessica Luo - 3rd Place
Ishwari Patel & Farida Anbar - 6th Place
Sonia Mittal & Anthony Psyllos - Semifinalists
Sophie Newman & Chidera Onubogu - Semifinalists
Original Oratory
Kabir Rai - 5th Place
Kolade Feyisitan - Semifinalist
Mohammed Morkas - Semifinalist
Informative Speaking
Mohammed Morkas - 2nd Place
Television Commercial
Ayse Demirbas - Champion
Kolade Feyisitan - 6th Place
Ranvir Seshadri - Semifinalist
Aadhav Kesavan - Semifinalist
Jaidan Doshi - Semifinalist
Impromptu Speaking
Ranvir Seshadri - 3rd Place
Kabir Rai - Semifinalist
GO VIKINGS!
Team Info
Practices are held every Monday, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Meets in room MS216
$300 Annual Club Fee
First tournament is free
If you want to join the team or have questions about the team,
contact Mrs. Huffman at
Email: heather.huffman@thevillageschool.com
naina sheth
Speech and debate has given me an opportunity to enhance my presentation skills and has given me a sense of community like no other.
ayse demirbas
Speech and debate has taught me that hard work and determination pay off and that being a part of a team is is an awesome experience.
Rose scamaroni
I would recommend joining Speech and Debate because not only has it taught me to build more confidence when performing in front of others, it is also such a great community to be a part of.
Inaya Rahim
Before I started debate, I struggled with speaking up in front of anyone, and I had almost no confidence in myself. Joining speech and debate helped me learn how to share my thoughts and opinions and gain confidence, and I can't imagine myself without S&D.