Clear Brook speech and debate team shines at competition

Alexa Schnoor, Rishi Suresh, Hunter Bodiford, Nathan Tamburello, Dinusha Wijesinghe, Rebecca Szeto, Saurabh Limaye, Kelly Hogg and Eric Stone. Other teammates who were finalist competitors include Sami Gifford, Nhi Do, and Neil Patel.

Clear Brook High School's team of speakers, actors and debaters excelled in a competition in Bay City.

The weekend of Dec. 3 and 4, Clear Brook's team won 10 trophies and a number of notable finalist recognitions and state points in the Bay City competition.

In the debate events, Kelly Hogg and Eric Stone advanced to the semifinal round and seized third place, which puts them within two points of the necessary point total for the state meet in Flower Mound, Texas, to be held in March. Nhi Do and Neil Patel were finalists in LD Debate, and Nathan Tamburello and Dinusha Wijesinghe placed third in Public Forum Debate. These wins put Neil, Nathan and Dinusha within striking distance of state qualifications as well.

In speaking events, junior Hunter Bodiford won first place in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, an event in which he is already qualified for the state meet. Joining Hunter was Rishi Suresh, who placed third in Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, and Eric Chaney and Kelly Hogg, finalists in the same category. Impromptu Speaking saw Kelly Hogg as a finalist and a third place win for Saurabh Limaye. Junior Alexa Schnoor brought home her first wins of the season by placing third in Poetry Interpretation and becoming a finalist in Storytelling.

Acting and theater events also garnered attention from the Wolverines. Team members Dinusha Wijesinghe and Nathan Tamburello won second place in Duet Improvisation and were joined in the finals by teammates Rebecca Szeto and Sami Gifford. Nathan Tamburello also paired with Rebecca Szeto in Record Pantomime and walked away with first place.