Los Alamos Hilltalkers and Hawktalkers Speech and Debate Teams shine at the State Speech and Debate Tournament. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos Hilltalkers and Hawktalkers Speech and Debate Teams earned top marks at the State Speech and Debate Tournament that was held at V Sue Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho.
Twenty seven schools competed from New Mexico, and although the competition was tough this year, both the high school and middle school Speech and Debate teams came out on top.
Hilltalkers Coach Margo Batha credited the team’s outstanding results to not only each student’s performance, but the team’s effort as a whole. “We had multiple individual winners but there is no doubt that we would not have earned the top placing as a New Mexico Speech and Debate School of Excellence without the strong performances of each member of the team,” said Batha. “I’m so proud of their efforts.”
The Hilltalkers also enjoyed competing against the Los Alamos Middle School Hawktalkers team, seven of whom traveled to Albuquerque to compete at the state competition. The Hawktalkers are the middle school branch of the high school team, and according to their coach Sherri Bublitz, they would not be a team at all if it weren’t for the support and vision of Batha several years ago.
The Hawktalkers are the only middle school speech and debate team currently competing as a standalone team in the state of New Mexico, which means they compete at a high school level. While their success may not be as trophy-studded as their high school peers, the public speaking abilities and confidence they gain, and exhibit is above par. Bublitz said, “These students are some of the best and the brightest in Los Alamos and in the state. I am very, very proud to be their coach. They enrich me as both a teacher and a coach with each unit in class and each tournament in the state.”
Batha said of the middle school team, “They were strong and credible competitors beating high school students at the state competition,” and the Hilltalkers look forward to welcoming these incoming ninth graders next year.
But this year is far from over for the Hilltalkers, as they are already hard at work perfecting their cases and speeches for the New Mexico District National Qualifying Tournament, which will be held on March 15-17.