Evanston Township High School District 202 issued the following announcement on May 4.
Three Evanston Township High School students competed at the national 2018 Tournament of Champions (TOC) event, hosted by the University of Kentucky each spring. The TOC is the premier high school speech and debate national championship, bringing together top competitors who have reached elimination rounds at national circuit invitationals throughout the year.
ETHS senior Jasper Davidoff qualified in Extemporaneous Speaking. In this event, students have 30 minutes to research, prepare, and memorize a seven-minute speech in response to a question about current events. Davidoff advanced to the quarterfinal round at the TOC, placing him among the top 30 speakers in the nation. He is the first student from Evanston to qualify to the TOC in Extemporaneous Speaking and is also the first ETHS student to advance to an elimination round in that event at a national championship.
Seniors Nina Kaushikkar and Gigi Wade qualified in Public Forum Debate at the TOC. They debated whether or not the US should expand its quota for H-1B visas. Kaushikkar and Wade finished 5-2 in preliminary rounds, advancing to elimination rounds and finishing among the top 28 teams in the nation.
In addition, out of the 240 students competing in Public Forum, Gigi Wade was named the top speaker at the TOC. “This is an incredible accomplishment,” noted ETHS Speech & Debate coach Jeff Hannan. “It is akin to being named the debater of the tournament in her division.”
Community event on Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Tournament of Champions competitors, along with other team leaders, will perform at a Nationals Night Showcase hosted by the ETHS Speech and Debate Team. Students, staff and community members are invited on May 22, 7:00-8:00pm to attend the event in the Little Theatre.
A question and answer period will follow the performances, providing an opportunity to learn more about Speech and Debate at ETHS and show support for the ETHS Speech and Debate team as they continue to work hard at the end of their season.
The Little Theatre is wheelchair accessible; located at the front of ETHS, 1600 Dodge Ave, Evanston. Parking is available in Lot #1 across from Entrance 1 on Dodge Ave.
For more information, contact Jeff Hannan at hannanj@eths.k12.il.us.
Original source can be found here.
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