SSFS Speech and Debate Medal at Nationals

Four of the seven SSFS students who qualified for the 2024 NCFL Grand National Speech and Debate Championships competed in this event over Memorial weekend in Chicago.

• Henry Goldblatt (9^th grader/Declamation) ended up in 95^th in the country
• Diego Zein (11^th grader/Original Oratory) qualified for the elimination championship Octofinalist round on Sunday and finished 28^th in the country and received a championship medal.
• Taye Bradford (12^th grader/Original Oratory) qualified for the elimination championship Octofinalist round on Sunday and then moved on to the Quarterfinals. He finished 22^nd in the country and received a championship trophy.
• SSFS’s varsity Public Forum Debate team of Alexios Eleftheriou (11^th grade) and Daryan Tchoubineh (12^th grade) fought through five one-hour rounds on Saturday and then moved onto the Double Octofinals on Sunday (top 32 teams out of 180). After winning three knock-out one-hour rounds, they found themselves in the National Semi-finals or what is known as the “Final Four” in the NCFL. Alexios and Daryan’s final standing as National Semi-Finalists (tied for third in the country with Stuyvesant High School) is an amazing feat. Congratulations to Alexios and Daryan and SSFS Debate!! And a huge shoutout to our league peer Langley High School for winning the National Championship.

SSFS Speech and Debate is coached by Scott Carneal (faculty) and Mike Risen (parent of 9^th grader, Catherine).

The Team is very thankful to the families that traveled to Chicago, chaperoned, and provided constant encouragement to our competitors (Zein/Rose, Tchoubineh, and Goldblatt families). Also, Scott would like to say how very appreciative he is that Paul Goldblatt and Clara Shapiro (Northwestern class of ’27 and Speech and SSFS alum) judged Speech for us. Also, we had an amazing act of goodwill in having parent volunteer coach Mike Risen fly out to Chicago to judge and coach Public Forum. Finally, the Debate team thanks the Tchoubineh family for their major support of the team.