Speech and Debate Team

Coach Hamm honored as RE Speech and Debate thrives in 2024 events

Ransom Everglades' speech and debate team began 2024 with a host of top performances at local and national events. The highlights: more than 70 qualifications to the Florida Forensic League Varsity State Championship during an event at RE on Feb. 2, and a notable showing at the Barkley Forum at Emory University in Atlanta on Jan. 27-28. There, coach Kate Hamm was inducted into the prestigious national Golden Key Society for excellence in coaching.
Hamm, the dedicated leader of RE Speech and Debate, was selected by fellow coaches and credited for her professionalism, character, leadership and respect for the forensics community. Also in Atlanta, Claudia Colina ’25 placed fourth in Dramatic Interpretation and third in Program of Oral Interpretation, and Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26 placed ninth in Duo Interpretation.

In other news at Emory, Michael Mederos ’25 reached the semifinals in Congressional Debate and, two weeks earler at the Sunvite in Davie, Fla., Colina and Andrew Gedde '25 earned second- and third-place finishes, respectively.

At the Feb. 2 Florida Forensic League Region 5 Art Deco Varsity State Qualifiers 2024, dozens of RE students claimed places among the 792 entrants at the March state championship.

See the list of qualifiers just below, and other recent results:

Florida Forensic League Region 5 Art Deco
Varsity State Qualifiers 2024
 
After Dinner Speaking (Auo-Qualified)
Kenzie Kaplan ’25
 
Congressional Debate
Region 5 Champion: Zarah Rizvi ’27
Third Place: Rebecca Ferrer ’24
Fifth Place: Zachary Corbin-Cheah ’27
Sixth Place: Veronica Luzine ’26
Second Alternate: Michael Mederos ’25
 
Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
Region 5 Champion: Armando Barlick ’26
Second Place: Eli Tomassetti ’27
Fourth Place: Kate Khvorostiana ’25
Fifth Place: Elisa Sotero ’24
Auto-Qualified: Eduardo Michelsen ’25 (Competed at earlier bid tournaments)
 
Dramatic Interpretation of Literature
Second Place: Kenzie Kaplan ’25
Third Place: Bridget Mestepey ’26
Fourth Place: Pierce Harris ’26
First Alternate: Matthew Friedman ’26
Second Alternate: Alexandra Russoniello ’26
Auto-Aqualified: Claudia Colina ’25
 
Duo Interpretation of Literature (all Auto-Qualified)
Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26
Lilah Murphy ’27 and Lucas Sanchez ’27
Patrick Keedy-Brown ’26 and Gianna Carvalho ’27
 
Humorous Interpretation of Literature (all Auto-Qualified)
Gustavo do Valle ’26
Bea Almes de Lima ’26
Lilah Murphy ’27
Alexandra Russoniello ’26
 
Impromptu Speaking
Fourth Place: Hannah Risin ’25
Fifth Place: Michael Goff ’26
Sixth Place: Matthew Friedman ’26
First Alternate: Elisa Sotero ’24
Second Alternate: Reed Gershman ’26
 
Informative Speaking
Region 5 Champion: Andrew Gedde ’25
Second Place: Bridget Mestepey ’26
Third Place: Julia Cuy ’25
Fourth Place: Jackson Berlin ’27
Fifth Place: Jack He ’25
Sixth Place: Connor Alfonso ’26
Second Alternate: David Martinez ’25
 
International Extemporaneous Speaking
Second Place: Francesca Lopez ’24
Third Place: Hannah Risin ’25
Fifth Place: Reed Gershman ’26
Sixth Place: Michael Goff ’26
First Alternate: Wes Griffin ’26
Second Alternate: Torin Davis ’26
 
Original Oratory
Region 5 Champion: Carlos Del Canal Fernandez ’25
Second Place: Paola Maynulet ’26
Third Place: Valentina Pombo ’27
Sixth Place: Cianna Vengoechea Schiff ’25
First Alternate: Yuanjin Yang ’25
Second Alternate: Marley Carillo ’25
 
Program of Oral Interpretation (All Auto-Qualified)
Claudia Colina ’25
Lucas Sanchez ’27
 
Public Forum Debate
Region 5 Champions: Thomas Crowley ’24 and Varun Raju ’24
Second Place: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26 and Tyler Marcus ’26
Third Place: Ana Gonzalez ’26 and Charlotte Gould ’26
Fourth Place: Natalia Cobas ’25 and Mia Escoto Cordova ’25
Sixth Place: Sebastian Djerejian ’27 and Nick Torres ’27
Auto-Qualifiers: Danny Mendelson ’25 and Max Salomon ’25
 
World Schools Debate
Region 5 Champions: Minnie Zhou ’26, Anna Lavernia ’25, Luciana Pardo Munoz Ledo ’25, Mia Bouyoucef ’25, Anya Bhandari ’25
Third Place: T.J. Malone ’25, Sindhu Talluri ’25, Ian Fox ’24, Nora Brue ’25, Lauren Page ’24

BARKLEY FORUM
Atlanta, Ga., January 27-28

Dramatic Interpretation
4: Claudia Colina '25

Program of Oral Interpretation
3: Claudia Colina '25

Duo Interpretation
9: Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26 

Congressional Debate
Semifinals: Michael Mederos ’25

SUNVITE
Davie, Fla., January 12-14

Dramatic Interpretation of Literature
2: Claudia Colina ’25 

Extemporaneous Speaking
Quarterfinals: Francesca Lopez ’24

Humorous Intepretation of Literature
Semifinals: Gustavo do Valle ’26

Impromptu Speaking
Quarterfinals: Gustavo do Valle ’26

Informative Speaking
3: Andrew Gedde ’25

Public Forum
JV 1: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26, Tyler Marcus ’26
JV 1 (tie): Ryan Alesandro ’26, Tino Pena ’26 
JV 4th Speaker: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26 
Varsity 3rd Speaker: Varun Raju ’24 

Congressional Debate
9: Michael Mederos ’25 
Semifinals: Sophia Linfield ’26
Semifinals: Ella Crowley ’26

SOUTH FLORIDA CATHOLIC FORENSIC LEAGUE 3
January 19, 2024

Dramatic Performance
1: Bea Alves De Lima '26
5: Matthew Friedman '26
6: Bridget Mestepey '26

Duo Interpretation
3: Gianna Carvalho '26 and Patrick Keedy Brown '26

Extemporaneous Speaking
1: Eduardo Michelsen '25
4: Lauren Page '24

Impromptu Speaking
2: Lauren Page '24
5: Nora Brue '25

Informative Speaking
4: Jackson Berlin '27
5: Connor Alfonso '26

Original Oratory
5: Yuajin Yang '25

Public Forum
1: Daniel Mendelson '25 and Max Solomon '25
2: Sindhu Talluri '25 and T.J. Malone '25

Varsity Student Congress
5: Rebecca Ferrer '24

World Schools Debate
2: Anya Bhandari '25, Jilly Demos Brown '25, Luci Pardo '25, and Mia Bouyoucef '25
 
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.