Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills High School
The Vestavia Hills High School Speech and Debate team won its fifth consecutive state championship during the state tournament held this past weekend.
Students earned top finishes across several events, contributing to the team’s overall victory.
Individual champions included Dev Patel, who won Congressional Debate House A, and Kaylee Zhao, who won Congressional Debate House B and Impromptu Speaking. Zhao also teamed with Astha Mehta to win Varsity Public Forum Debate, while another Vestavia pair, Arhaan Lalani and Vivian Shi, also earned co-champion honors in Varsity Public Forum Debate.
Veronica Zhang captured titles in Congressional Debate Senate and International Extemporaneous Speaking, and also advanced to the semifinals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Tina Gao won United States Extemporaneous Speaking.
Additional first-place finishes included Abigail Wang and Anthony Li, who won JV Public Forum Debate, and Mina Hu, who captured the Lincoln-Douglas Debate title.
Other top finishers included Adi Sheelavant and Eric Wang, who both reached the Lincoln-Douglas Debate semifinals, and Avery Brooks, who finished runner-up in Prose Interpretation.
School leaders congratulated the students for their strong performances and continued success at the state level.
