Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
More than 100 high school students from around the country have packed into KU classrooms the last few weeks to master their skills, part of a cycle that Kansas debaters say keeps the state a premier debate destination.
Free State High School senior Anwen Williams added to her impressive list of forensics accomplishments by claiming a national championship in extemporaneous speaking over the weekend.
The Free State High School speech team claimed its sixth straight state championship, completing a sweep of state titles this year after winning the debate crown in January.
Free State High School claimed the 6A four-speaker state title over the weekend, besting some of the top debaters in the state for the Firebirds’ first debate state championship since 2019.
Sophie Racy and Connor Brown placed third in the nation in policy debate and Free State was named a top-20 school nationwide at the National Speech and Debate Tournament, closing out coach Kelly Thompson’s teaching career.
Free State High School has won its fifth straight KSHSAA 6A state speech championship, and two students won three individual championships. Lawrence High School came in fifth overall.
Free State High School’s forensics team dominated the speech and debate national qualifier, winning all four sweepstakes awards and seeing nine students punch their tickets to the national tournament. Lawrence High qualified seven students for nationals.
Free State High School junior Anwen Williams has reached a prestigious milestone after scoring in more than 375 rounds of speech and debate competition so far.
Just before Thomas Lushington was scheduled to depart for the National Speech and Debate Association tournament, a local coach offered him some feedback on his argument, igniting a frenzy of revision. The changes paid off.
Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered
Free State High School took home its fourth-straight state forensics title over the weekend, and Lawrence High School finished in fourth place. Both schools sent multiple entries to the finals.
