The Bandera High School (BHS) and Middle School (BMS) speech and debate teams competed at the Boerne Champion TFA tournament on Saturday, showcasing strong performances against tough competition. Additionally, The middle school team made an impressive debut in their first-ever competition. Several students made their first appearances at a high school meet, including Cullen Maloney, Michael Ellingson, and Ember Parker. In the Student Congress event, senior Micah Mc-Creary advanced to the semifinals, competing against 92 entries, while sophomore Amelie Smoor made it to the finals. Senior Braden Valle reached the semifinals in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, which featured 52 entries. In Novice Extemporaneous Speaking, freshman Luke Parks and sophomore Aiden Garcia advanced to the semifinals out of 35 participants.
Garcia also excelled in Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate, earning 3rd place out of 24 debaters during his first career rounds of competition. In Varsity Prose, sophomore Claudia Alameda and junior Sydney McDaniel competed against 40 entries, with McDaniel finishing in 5th place at just her second career tournament. The Bandera speech and debate teams will hit the road again next weekend to compete in the Hays TFA tournament.
