On September 8, 2018, the Ray High School Speech and Debate Team competed at the La Vernia High School tournament. This was the team’s first year competing at this tournament, and they faced new teams, new schools, and a tournament with a high number of entrants. The team took a total of 17 students to this “pre-season” competition and the results are as follows:

Anahita Farishta: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, 2nd place

Richard Waterhouse: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Quarterfinalist

Carlos Carroll: Congressional Debate, 8th place; Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Semifinalist

Aleena Ali: Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Semifinalist

Kevin Craig: Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Semifinalist

Aamil Farishta: Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Semifinalist

Daya Butler: Prose, Semifinalist; Dramatic Interpretation, Semifinalist

Yasmeen Hamad: Prose, Semifinalist; Poetry, Semifinalist

The next competition for the team is the Harlingen South High School tournament, which will take place on September 22, 2018. The team is always looking to welcome and take on new recruits, regardless of grade level! The Harlingen South tournament will be an important tournament for the Ray team because they will be competing against many of the Corpus Christi area schools such as Veterans Memorial, Gregory-Portland and Tuloso-Midway, and will be looking to make a statement. The more competitors the team takes to Harlingen, the bigger splash the splash that Ray makes will be. If you are interested in learning more, stop by Mr. Perkins room, 138.