SpeakFirst Debater Crowned Varsity Champion at Mountain Brook Tournament


 
SpeakFirst Senior, Caitlyn Jones, Finishes with a 7-1 Record to Claim Lincoln Douglas Title

The SpeakFirst High School debate team competed at the Betty Gunn Invitational at Mountain Brook High School on February 2nd and 3rd, and students excelled in both the Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debate events.

In a field of 31 two-person teams in Varsity Public Forum debate, two SpeakFirst pairs advanced to elimination rounds. Savannah Dorsey and Evan Braxton reached the octa-finals, defeating teams from Hoover High School, The Altamont School, and Mars Hill Bible School in Florence, AL.  Aimee Howard and Mackenzie Williams also reached octa-finals, defeating teams from The Altamont School and Hoover High School. Additional ly, 
Aimee Howard won the fifth place speaker award in a pool of 62 competitors.

In a field of 17 students competing in Varsity Lincoln Douglas debate, SpeakFirst debaters Caitlyn Jones and Christion Finch won the third and fourth place speaker awards, respectively.  Christion Finch reached the quarter-finals, and 
Caitlyn Jones was crowned tournament champion. 
Caitlyn achieved a win-loss record of 7-1, and she defeated students from Vestavia Hills High School, The Altamont School, Chelsea High School, and Montgomery Academy.

What Does it Take to Earn $330,000 in Scholarships To Attend Harvard and UA?
Watch This Short Film and Find Out!  

 
SpeakFirst's 39 Graduates to Date Have Earned More Than $4.9 Million in College Scholarships
 
SpeakFirst students spent more than 300 hours each in practice during the 2016-17 academic year.  Our two graduating seniors' hard work paid off, with both students earning full scholarships to attend college. Kimora Bell (Ramsay High School) earned over $61,500 in scholarships and currently attends UA; Delanya Storey (JCIB) graduated with over $269,000 in scholarships and is attending Harvard. Our ten graduating classes (39 students) have earned more than $4.9 million in college scholarships. 
 
SpeakFirst enriches the academic experience of talented and motivated students from Birmingham-area schools through participation in an "all-star" debate initiative. This highly collaborative initiative includes one-on-one tutoring and mentoring, college admissions and financial aid guidance, standardized test preparation, and summer internships.  
 






Impact America, an AmeriCorps Program, is housed and supported by the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility at The University of Alabama. Additional office space is provided by UAB and Maynard, Cooper & Gale, PC.