Several Marshall High School students attended the Missouri District Speech and Debate Tournament last week in Warrensburg, and three students qualified for the state tournament in April.
According to a news release, the students who qualified for state and placed first during the district tournament include: Drew Arends for the Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and the team of Arianna Hunter and Grant Clemmons for the Public Forum Debate.
Other students who competed and placed at districts include: Rhiannon Bowlen, second in Lincoln-Douglas Debate; the team of Easton Blackburn and Marissa Vestal, fourth in Public Forum Debate; Taylor Winfrey, fourth in Dramatic Interpretation; and Bailee Varner, eighth in Original Oratory.
Marshall High School speech and debate students have now qualified for state in 38 of the past 39 years under Coach Paul Gieringer, where Arends, Hunter and Clemmons will compete at the state tournament in Springfield this year.