Hilo High School’s speech and debate team has qualified for a national tournament taking place in Iowa this summer.
Teammates Keoni Randolph and Senaka Reddy placed second to Punahou School at the State Debate Tournament that occurred this past weekend at Kamehameha School’s Kapalama campus on Oahu.
Randolph, a junior, and Reddy, a sophomore, compete at the Advanced Public Forum level of the tournament, where they debate together against a facing pair. At the state tournament, they debated the resolution: The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in domestic nuclear energy.
“I was so elated,” said coach Liz Laliberte of the boys’ performance at the state tournament. “They brought everything home in terms of their speech ability, the teamwork, and their responses and rebuttals to opposing argument. They brought it all together and it was really exciting.”
“We improved 100% from last year’s state competition and hope we can keep developing those skills,” Reddy said.
This is Randolph and Reddy’s second season with the Hilo High debate team, said Laliberte, a 20-year Hilo High educator who founded the school’s team in 2017.
Though this year was Hilo High’s fourth appearance at the State Debate Tournament, this is the first time a pair at the Advanced Public Forum level has made it to the national stage, she said.
Hilo High is the only neighbor island public school in Hawaii that has a debate team to send to competitions. Parker School, a private school in Waimea, has a team that placed highly in the one-to-one novice level at the state tournament, and Laliberte said Hilo High and Parker try to work together to give the teams more opportunities to practice and elevate their skills.
Laliberte said a partnership with UH Hilo’s Department of Communication, with the help of Parker School, allowed the students to have a district tournament at the campus in March.
“I think what really helps to motivate them is having more teams to play against,” Laliberte said, explaining that the many Oahu schools with debate teams already have a solid infrastructure in place. “Building a critical mass of students who are interested will get us to the next level.”
The team is welcoming any donations that may help them get to the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament in Des Moines from June 15-20.
Laliberte said in-kind donations of airline miles or loyalty points to help with hotel stays and car rentals would go a long way, and that any monetary donations can be sent by check to Hilo High School at 556 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI 96720 with “Speech and Debate” written in the memo.
If the team doesn’t earn enough money to make it to the national tournament, any donations will support next season’s frequent travel to Oahu to compete against the regional contenders.
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
