Needham Speech and Debate Kicks of 2024 at Newton South

The Needham High Speech and Debate Team ushered in 2023 with a sixth place finish at the Newton South Tournament. The multiple reading team of sophomores Emma Zhang, Simon Shoemaker, Anika Ray, Mia Maffeo, and Ben Folger ranked second overall. Sophomore Talia Musmon finalized in two events, ranking third in poetry and with in prose. The duo team of Maffeo and Ray earned a third place finish, being joined in finals by Shoemaker and sophomore Ananya Sharma in sixth place. Sophomore Lily Katz earned seventh place in poetry while sophomore Lily Birdgers kept up the standard for named Lily by earning the reserve championship, second place, in novice oral interpretation. Sophomore Max Scott was a Congressional Debate finalist. State bids were additionally earned by Bridgers in children’s literature, Katz in Prose, Sharma in Poetry reading, Shoemaker in Play Reading, senior Emily Zinner in impromptu, and Zhang in both poetry and Prose. Sophomore orator Emily Flanagan, declamation star Anika Ray, and Congressional Debate maven Gabe Pressman narrowly missed state bids Alums Henry Huvos ‘20 , Shayan Raza ’19 and Hannah Warn ’20 judged for Needham, as did coaches Greg Cunningham, Joanna Goldenberg , Marybeth Peters and PJ Wexler. Coach Cunningham remarked on the great ‘end of the tournament rise’ by Needham to finish sixth overall.