Coach Hamm honored as RE Speech and Debate thrives in 2024 events

1/22/2024

Ransom Everglades' speech and debate team began 2024 with a host of top performances at local and national events. The highlights: more than 70 qualifications to the Florida Forensic League Varsity State Championship during an event at RE on Feb. 2, and a notable showing at the Barkley Forum at Emory University in Atlanta on Jan. 27-28. There, coach Kate Hamm was inducted into the prestigious national Golden Key Society for excellence in coaching.

Hamm, the dedicated leader of RE Speech and Debate, was selected by fellow coaches and credited for her professionalism, character, leadership and respect for the forensics community. Also in Atlanta, Claudia Colina ’25 placed fourth in Dramatic Interpretation and third in Program of Oral Interpretation, and Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26 placed ninth in Duo Interpretation.

In other news at Emory, Michael Mederos ’25 reached the semifinals in Congressional Debate and, two weeks earler at the Sunvite in Davie, Fla., Colina and Andrew Gedde '25 earned second- and third-place finishes, respectively.

At the Feb. 2 Florida Forensic League Region 5 Art Deco Varsity State Qualifiers 2024, dozens of RE students claimed places among the 792 entrants at the March state championship.

See the list of qualifiers just below, and other recent results:

Florida Forensic League Region 5 Art Deco

Varsity State Qualifiers 2024

After Dinner Speaking (Auo-Qualified)

Kenzie Kaplan ’25

Congressional Debate

Region 5 Champion: Zarah Rizvi ’27

Third Place: Rebecca Ferrer ’24

Fifth Place: Zachary Corbin-Cheah ’27

Sixth Place: Veronica Luzine ’26

Second Alternate: Michael Mederos ’25

Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking

Region 5 Champion: Armando Barlick ’26

Second Place: Eli Tomassetti ’27

Fourth Place: Kate Khvorostiana ’25

Fifth Place: Elisa Sotero ’24

Auto-Qualified: Eduardo Michelsen ’25 (Competed at earlier bid tournaments)

Dramatic Interpretation of Literature

Second Place: Kenzie Kaplan ’25

Third Place: Bridget Mestepey ’26

Fourth Place: Pierce Harris ’26

First Alternate: Matthew Friedman ’26

Second Alternate: Alexandra Russoniello ’26

Auto-Aqualified: Claudia Colina ’25

Duo Interpretation of Literature (all Auto-Qualified)

Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26

Lilah Murphy ’27 and Lucas Sanchez ’27

Patrick Keedy-Brown ’26 and Gianna Carvalho ’27

Humorous Interpretation of Literature (all Auto-Qualified)

Gustavo do Valle ’26

Bea Almes de Lima ’26

Lilah Murphy ’27

Alexandra Russoniello ’26

Impromptu Speaking

Fourth Place: Hannah Risin ’25

Fifth Place: Michael Goff ’26

Sixth Place: Matthew Friedman ’26

First Alternate: Elisa Sotero ’24

Second Alternate: Reed Gershman ’26

Informative Speaking

Region 5 Champion: Andrew Gedde ’25

Second Place: Bridget Mestepey ’26

Third Place: Julia Cuy ’25

Fourth Place: Jackson Berlin ’27

Fifth Place: Jack He ’25

Sixth Place: Connor Alfonso ’26

Second Alternate: David Martinez ’25

International Extemporaneous Speaking

Second Place: Francesca Lopez ’24

Third Place: Hannah Risin ’25

Fifth Place: Reed Gershman ’26

Sixth Place: Michael Goff ’26

First Alternate: Wes Griffin ’26

Second Alternate: Torin Davis ’26

Original Oratory

Region 5 Champion: Carlos Del Canal Fernandez ’25

Second Place: Paola Maynulet ’26

Third Place: Valentina Pombo ’27

Sixth Place: Cianna Vengoechea Schiff ’25

First Alternate: Yuanjin Yang ’25

Second Alternate: Marley Carillo ’25

Program of Oral Interpretation (All Auto-Qualified)

Claudia Colina ’25

Lucas Sanchez ’27

Public Forum Debate

Region 5 Champions: Thomas Crowley ’24 and Varun Raju ’24

Second Place: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26 and Tyler Marcus ’26

Third Place: Ana Gonzalez ’26 and Charlotte Gould ’26

Fourth Place: Natalia Cobas ’25 and Mia Escoto Cordova ’25

Sixth Place: Sebastian Djerejian ’27 and Nick Torres ’27

Auto-Qualifiers: Danny Mendelson ’25 and Max Salomon ’25

World Schools Debate

Region 5 Champions: Minnie Zhou ’26, Anna Lavernia ’25, Luciana Pardo Munoz Ledo ’25, Mia Bouyoucef ’25, Anya Bhandari ’25

Third Place: T.J. Malone ’25, Sindhu Talluri ’25, Ian Fox ’24, Nora Brue ’25, Lauren Page ’24

BARKLEY FORUM
Atlanta, Ga., January 27-28

Dramatic Interpretation
4: Claudia Colina '25

Program of Oral Interpretation
3: Claudia Colina '25

Duo Interpretation
9: Miranda Silva ’26 and Daniela Garcia ’26

Congressional Debate
Semifinals: Michael Mederos ’25

SUNVITE
Davie, Fla., January 12-14

Dramatic Interpretation of Literature
2: Claudia Colina ’25

Extemporaneous Speaking

Quarterfinals: Francesca Lopez ’24

Humorous Intepretation of Literature

Semifinals: Gustavo do Valle ’26

Impromptu Speaking

Quarterfinals: Gustavo do Valle ’26

Informative Speaking

3: Andrew Gedde ’25

Public Forum

JV 1: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26, Tyler Marcus ’26
JV 1 (tie): Ryan Alesandro ’26, Tino Pena ’26

JV 4th Speaker: Eduardo de Sabrit ’26

Varsity 3rd Speaker: Varun Raju ’24

Congressional Debate

9: Michael Mederos ’25

Semifinals: Sophia Linfield ’26

Semifinals: Ella Crowley ’26

SOUTH FLORIDA CATHOLIC FORENSIC LEAGUE 3
January 19, 2024

Dramatic Performance
1: Bea Alves De Lima '26
5: Matthew Friedman '26
6: Bridget Mestepey '26

Duo Interpretation
3: Gianna Carvalho '26 and Patrick Keedy Brown '26

Extemporaneous Speaking
1: Eduardo Michelsen '25
4: Lauren Page '24

Impromptu Speaking
2: Lauren Page '24
5: Nora Brue '25

Informative Speaking
4: Jackson Berlin '27
5: Connor Alfonso '26

Original Oratory
5: Yuajin Yang '25

Public Forum
1: Daniel Mendelson '25 and Max Solomon '25
2: Sindhu Talluri '25 and T.J. Malone '25

Varsity Student Congress
5: Rebecca Ferrer '24

World Schools Debate
2: Anya Bhandari '25, Jilly Demos Brown '25, Luci Pardo '25, and Mia Bouyoucef '25

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RE founder Paul Ransom, circa 1903

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Coach Hamm honored as RE Speech and Debate thrives in 2024 events

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