Coach proud of her team

Once again, the Green River High School Speech and Debate Team did not disappoint its coaches.

“The team worked very hard before nationals practicing into evening hours almost every week day for about a month,” head coach Carina Stulken said. “We knew that each of them had a real shot at advancing at the tournament and overall they did very well.”

The students that didn’t make it to elimination rounds had records of winning at least half of their debate rounds, Stulken said.

“We took three freshmen qualifiers and this was an invaluable learning experience for them as they continue their speech and debate careers at GRHS,” she said.

Stulken wanted to highlight a new event called the World School Debate. GRHS students Haley Lauze and Savannah Hook represented Wyoming well as part of the five-member team.

“They won three of their six debate rounds and learned a lot that can be useful as we move forward to compete in this event in the future,” she said. “Every student that competed learned something that they will take away into their future endeavors.”

After attending nationals for a few years in a row, the team continues to exceed Stulken’s expectations.

“GRHS can absolutely be competitive at nationals,” she said. “JD Richardson, Maggie Fischer and Alexander Marchal are an example of the growing success this team has had at nationals.”

As for the freshman who attended nationals, Stulken is hoping they will have the opportunity to compete at nationals for the next several years.

“Every time we attend nationals we gain a little more knowledge and perspective about how to compete at a national level,” she said. “It helps our students become well-rounded competitors.”

Stulken wanted to thank the community for its continued support and for the generous support of Sweetwater County School District No. 2 administrators, the school board, and Sweetwater Board of Cooperative Educational Services.