Daniel M. ‘22 Places in Top 12 at National Speech & Debate Championship

The speech & debate team at Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart concluded its competitive season with 43 student entries at the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Middle School Championship from June 7 to 9, 2022. Daniel M. ‘22 advanced to the National Semifinal Round in Informative Speaking and finished in the Top 12 in the country. Daniel, along with a student from Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, were the top placing students representing New Jersey in any of this year’s events.

Owen S. ‘22, who was a 2021 NSDA Middle School National Finalist in Declamation, also had an impressive performance in Informative Speaking, finishing in 15th place while Wolde S. ‘22 finished in 16th place in Original Spoken Word Poetry. In Congressional Debate, Noah M. ‘23 and Luke N. ‘22 also had very strong performances in the preliminary rounds, just narrowly missing advancing to the National Semifinal Legislative Session (Top 24). Yidrew C. ‘24 was the top student from Princeton Academy in the Pro Con Challenge, finishing just outside the Top 24.
 
This year’s middle school portion of the tournament was held online and featured both asynchronous and synchronous competition by 1,071 student entries representing 171 middle schools from 43 states as well as additional territories and countries including Canada, China, India, Saipan, Taiwan, and Uganda. The NSDA National Tournament is the largest academic competition in the world with over 7,000 students in both high school and middle school from all 50 states as well as numerous additional territories and countries. 

This year was Princeton Academy’s fifth time competing at the NSDA Middle School National Championship. At last year’s 2021 National Championship, in addition to Princeton Academy having its first National Finalist, Mr. Alfred F. (Rik) Dugan III was named the National Middle School Administrator of the Year. Princeton Academy has competed virtually in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and had students compete in 2019 in Dallas, TX and in 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.