Last weekend, Hays High Speech and Debate qualified six students to compete at the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament to be hosted June 16-22 in Dallas. Ian Cameron will represent Hays at the NSDA’s National Tournament in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, while Dylan Cousins will compete in Student Congress. Julia Bowen, Desiree Campbell, Ryan Coffey and Matthew Boddy will be joined by one student from O’Connor High School in San Antonio to make up one of the district’s two World Schools Debate teams. Only the top two competitors in each event from each district earn slots for the national tournament; only about 20 students from the entire state will compete in each event at the national tournament in a given year. The National Speech and Debate Association is the second oldest national honor society in the nation. In order to compete for a spot, students must first earn NSDA membership by demonstrating consistent excellence in speech and debate competition.
