The Department of Teaching and Learning at Newark Public Schools proudly highlights the recent achievements of its speech and debate teams. Following their outstanding performances at the 52nd Tournament of Champions and the National Catholic Forensics League's National Championship, teams are now gearing up for the National Speech and Debate Association National Championships, scheduled for June 15-22 in Des Moines, Iowa. During the Tournament of Champions, in which only the best in the nation are invited to compete, hosted by the University of Kentucky, NBOE teams showcased exceptional skill and dedication, achieving their best results in the history of Newark attending the tournament. Under the experienced guidance of Coach Dennis K. Philbert, Central High School's Miriam Divo and Rebekah Edohwoku delivered stellar performances in Duo and Oral Interpretation, earning national acclaim and securing 2nd place. Central also took home 4th and 6th place finishes in other categories alongside University High School. The speech team from University High, led by Coach Saul Grullon in its inaugural year, had extraordinary success, with Malakai Yepes and Michaela White excelling in Duo Interpretation and coming in 5th place. The success continued at the National Catholic Forensics League's National Championship, where Mariam Divo from Central High School claimed 3rd place as National Champion in Dramatic Performance, among other impressive late-elimination appearances by Central and University High School achievements by District students.
As NBOE high school teams continue to excel nationally, it is with great excitement to announce that Peshine School will represent Newark at the Middle School portion of NSDA nationals. This inclusion highlights the broad scope of the speech and debate programs, which extend from elementary through high school levels. These outstanding results testify to the support facilitated by the partnership with Newark Debate Academy. Their collaborative efforts have been instrumental in integrating speech and debate education into the academic curriculum, creating a nurturing environment that encourages students to excel academically and personally in every aspect of their instruction.