Scottsdale Prep Wins Speech and Debate State Championship

Scottsdale Preparatory Academy March 22, 2018

The Scottsdale Preparatory Academy Speech & Debate Team won the AIA State Championship Speech & Debate tournament in Flagstaff, Arizona.  The team was founded five years ago and have risen from 24th place, to 17th place, to 11th place, to 4th place, to 2nd place last year, and were finally State Champions this year (against teams over twice their size).

Individual student awards included:

Congressional Debate – House 1:
 State Champion (1st Place): Shayna Cohen
- State Runner-up (2nd Place): Leila Khan

Congressional Debate – House 2:
 State Champion (1st Place): Alexander Curry
- State Runner-up (2nd Place): Amy Zhou

Congressional Debate – House 3:
 State Champion (1st Place): Thomas Chung
- State Runner-up (2nd Place): Jordan Cohen

Public Forum Debate (SPA closed out the finals round, winning both first and second place) – Co-State Champion Teams: Jordan Cohen – Shayna Cohen (State Champions 3 years in a row), and Amy Zhou – Thomas Chung
- Quarterfinalist (5th Place): Anish Verma – Cameron Bickley
- Octofinalist (9th Place): Emily Stabilito – McKenna Lane

Lincoln Douglas Debate – State Runner-up (2nd Place): Sartaj Malhi
- Quarterfinalist (5th Place): Alexander Curry

Original Oratory – State Runner-up (2nd Place): Shayna Cohen

Informative Speaking 
- State Champion (1st place): Emily Stabilito
 – 4th place: Reeti Patel
 – 5th place: Abigayle Mazzocco
 – Semifinalist (7th): Cameron Bickley

Humorous Interp – (7th place): Emily Stabilito

Duet Acting
 – (7th Place): Jordan Cohen – Sartaj Malhi

Impromptu Speaking 
- State Champion (1st place): Alexander Curry
- 3rd Place: Reeti Patel
- Semifinalist (top 12): Sartaj Malhi

Extemporaneous Speaking – (Scottsdale Prep closed out Finals round of Extemp) 
- State Champion (1st Place): Thomas Chung
- State Runner-up (2nd Place): Shayna Cohen
- 3rd Place: Alexander Curry
- 4th: Jordan Cohen
- 5th place: Leila Khan
- 6th: Amy Zhou

The overall team effort of these and other students contributed to Scottsdale Prep winning the Overall Team Sweepstakes State Championship Award.

In addition to winning state, the team also participates in many national circuit tournaments such as the NSDA Nationals as well as the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions.  This year, Scottsdale Prep’s team in the International Public Policy Forum (Amy Zhou, Leila Khan, and Thomas Chung) placed in the top 32 teams in the world.

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