Fresh from two successful national competitions, the TJC Speech and Debate Team will host a showcase of its award-winning presentations at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Jean Browne Theatre.
Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. The program will last about an hour.
Phi Rho Pi Community College National Tournament
Last week, the team competed in the Phi Rho Pi Community College National competition in Washington, D.C.
More than 750 students from over 60 schools competed in the tournament.
In individual events, TJC brought home the following awards:
Gold (and national champion) in Prose Interpretation:
Omari Hawkins of Grand Prairie
Silver in Parliamentary Debate:
Gavin Downing of Lindale and Dillon Hughes of Princeton
Silver in International Public Debate Association debate:
Korey Vaughan of Livingston
Bronze in Impromptu Speaking:
Gavin Downing, Dillon Hughes and Aaron Kelley of Ennis
Bronze in Extemporaneous Speaking:
Aaron Kelley
Bronze in Lincoln-Douglas debate:
Gavin Downing
Joan Andrews
As a team, TJC won gold in Debate Sweepstakes and bronze in Individual Events Sweepstakes and Overall Sweepstakes
“This marks the first time in many years that we’ve won in all three sweepstakes categories,” said M’Liss Hindman, TJC speech professor and team director.
Assistant director and team coach Joan Andrews was named the winner of the 2017 Collie-Taylor Fellowship Award for Coaches.
“This is such a well-deserved honor for Joan Andrews,” Hindman said.
American Forensics Association’s National Tournament
At the American Forensics Association’s National Tournament held earlier this month in Peoria, Illinois, TJC earned second place Community College Sweepstakes.
Hindman said, “I’m proud to announce that TJC won 2nd Place Community College Sweepstakes. Seventy-four universities and colleges from all over the country competed in the tournament, and it was extremely competitive.
“We took four students and entered seven events. The school that received first place, El Paso Community College, had more than three times as many students on their team and more than 30 entries. This is amazing for freshmen and sophomores competing alongside the best juniors and seniors in the nation.”
The TJC speech and debate team has been in existence for more than 60 years and is among the very first programs to compete in collegiate forensics in the state of Texas.
For more on TJC Speech and Debate, go to www.tjc.edu/speech.