THIRTEEN middle school students from five schools topped the 2020-2021 regional competition and will represent the CNMI in the National Junior Speech & Debate Association online tournament in June.
With support from community volunteers, alumni of participating schools, members of the MHS National Honor Society as well as faculty and school administrators, the online competition was held this month.
Since 1999, the CNMI has been participating in the National Speech and Debate Association competitions, which usually feature more than 6,000 middle and high school students every summer.
Participants go through rigorous qualifying tournaments in 12 events.
This year’s CNMI duo interpretation team will consist of Saipan Community School’s Grade 8 student Soledad Sablan and Grade 7 student Lola Guerrero. In the regional competition, they edged out Francisco M. Sablan Middle School’s duo, Terence Tangi and Honofre Tangi, who placed second, and Aubrey Tabenas and Mikylla Espinosa who took third place.
SCS Grade 6 student Jeong Bin “Celine” Park will be the CNMI’s Poetry Reading competitor. She won the top spot in the regional event by besting Terence Tangi who finished second; FMS’ Noreen Malakai, third; Mount Carmel School Grade 6 student Justin Mallari, fourth; and Green Meadow School’s Tristhony Duarte, fifth.
MCS’ Mallari, who placed second in the regional event, will carry the CNMI flag in the national Declamation competition.
Celine Park topped the regional Declamation event with Chealzka Navarro, John Hinolan and Elesha Manansala, all of Green Meadow School, finishing third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Despite winning first place in both Poetry Reading and Declamation contests, Park can only participate in one national event so she chose Poetry Reading.
FMS’ Malakai will represent the CNMI in the national Dramatic Interpretation event. In the regional competition, she finished ahead of her fellow FMS students Aianah Acera, Duarte and Chedlen Villanueva, and GMS’ Ezra Alfred.
MCS Grade 7 student Oscar Bien Buenaflor will compete in the national Extemporaneous Speaking event while Hopwood Middle School’s Princess Rigua will be the CNMI representative in the national Humorous Interpretation competition.
In the regional event, Rigua finished ahead of SCS students David Park, Joshua Yoo, Hilah Bacani and Alfred Junho Baek.
GMS student Chealzka Navarro topped the regional competition for the Impromptu event. She bested Tabenas, MCS’ Oscar Bien Buenaflor, FMS’ Denilyn Angel Jacoba and Chedlen Rose Villanueva.
FMS’ Tabenas will be the CNMI’s competitor in the national Original Oratory category. In the regional event, Tabenas bested MCS’ Grade 7 student Victor Nash Santos, Park, MCS’ Stephen Yeom and Henry Yeom.
SCS Grade 6 student Gun Hee “David” Park, who placed second in the regional competition, will represent the CNMI in the national Prose Reading event.
Celine Park, who chose Poetry as her CNMI team event, topped the regional Prose Reading competition. Navarro was third; John Hinolan, fourth; and GMS’ Eleshah Manansala, fifth.
MCS’ Santos will compete in the national Storytelling competition. He came second in the regional event, which was won by Soledad Sablan who has chosen to compete in the national Duo event with Lola Guerrero.
Princess Rigua was third in the regional Storytelling event; Grade 8 student Jason Kim was fourth; and Espinosa, fifth.
FMS’ Santos topped the regional Chamorro & Carolinian Heritage, besting FMS’ Emerson Brillo and Aianah Acera.
SCS Grade 8 student Jason Kim will be the CNMI’s bet in the national Lincoln-Douglas Debate. In the regional event, he defeated Celine Park, Joshua Yoo and David Park.
“Everyone involved appreciates the hard work of the students and event support staff from both public and private schools,” said Harold Easton, president of the Western Pacific Region-National Forensic League and one of the key organizers of the regional events.
“We look forward to the students’ success at the national level. They will, we are sure, represent the CNMI in the best possible way,” he added.
Overall competition coordinator Kristine Wolf said, “Many would agree that this year and last [year’s events] felt longer than usual.”
She added, “For the NJSDA, that rings especially true. We had island-wide competitions running from last October to this February leading up to the regional competition held just this March.”
She said it was a complicated and unique process, “but was made bearable thanks to WPR president Harold Easton and my fellow board members, Maria Mettao, Criselda Aldan, Grace Duran, Jesse Sablan, Darlene Sobremisana, and regional director/adviser Andrew Golden, the competing and non-competing schools that helped provide an abundance of quality judges, and the NSDA students and alumni (some of whom are in Nebraska, Illinois, and Nevada), the community members and school administrators who contributed their time as judges.”
Wolf likewise thanked the Marianas High School National Honor Society and its advisors, Dr. Chas Algaier and Jeremiah Rother, for coordinating the live-event Zoom rooms.
“This year ran smoothly thanks to the joint effort of each and everyone,” Wolf said.
Gun Hee “David” Park
Park Jeong Bin
Lola Guerrero
Jason Kim
Soledad Sablan
Justin Mallari
Victor Santos
Oscar Bien Buenaflor
