Murrah High School Speech & Debate
2024 National Qualifiers
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Clarissa Coleman - NCFL Extemp, NSDA US Extemp
Madison Cormack - NCFL Lincoln-Douglas
Theo Milnor - NCFL Prose/Poetry
Hart Jefferson - NCFL Congress, NSDA Senate
Sylvia Kassoff & Harper Golden - NCFL Duo
Sylvia Kassoff - NSDA World Schools Debate
Miles Hansen & Roscoe Levanway - NCFL Public Forum
Miles Hansen - NSDA International Extemp
Roscoe Levanway - NSDA Extemporaneous Debate
Ava Reed - NSDA Storytelling & Prose
2024 MHSAA State Qualifiers
LaBrenda Bell & Sylvia Kassoff - Policy Debate
Samuel Eubanks & Kameron Wilson - Public Forum Debate
Miles Hansen & Roscoe Levanway - Public Forum Debate
DaKota Haynes & Zeniah McElroy - Public Forum Debate
Theo Milnor - Prose Interpretation, Poetry Interpretation
Hart Jefferson - Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Impromptu Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, Informative Speaking
Clarissa Coleman - Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Sylvia Kassoff - Program Oral Interpretation
Harper Golden - Program Oral Interpretation
Avery Clayton - Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Nicholas McGlorthan - Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Madison Cormack - Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Impromptu Speaking
Austin Windham - Impromptu Speaking
Miles Hansen - Extemporaneous Speaking
Team History
Murrah High School has competed in Speech & Debate since at least 1969 when Charles Garvin and Steve McDonald were finalists in Policy Debate at Emory University's Barkley Forum. The current incarnation of the Mustang Speech & Debate team was started in 2008 under coach Mrs. Sonya Harvey. The bar for success was soon set sky-high by two-time NSDA national qualifiers and elimination round debaters in Public Forum, Justin Porter & Carlos Rucker (2011-2012). Murrah’s team has qualified students to nationals every year since. Five students from Murrah have won MHSAA State Championships, and 17 have been awarded Academic All-American by the NSDA. Since 2008, over 200 students have participated on the team. Alumni attend or have attended (an incomplete list): Jackson State, Tougaloo, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Millsaps, Rhodes, Xavier, Tulane, Davidson, Dillard, North Carolina A&T, Hampton, Tuskegee, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, UNLV, Rice, USC, Knox, Marist, Washington-St. Louis, MIT, Harvard, and Yale.
The current head coach is Mr. Micah Everson.
5 MHSAA State
Event Championships
2022: Camilah Cousin, Storytelling
2019: Y'Sonni Pressley, Declamation
2018: Justin Bell, Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Y'Sonni Pressley, Storytelling
2016: Jose Navas & Lauren Allen, Policy Debate
17 NSDA Academic All-Americans
Class of 2024: Hart Jefferson
C/o 2023: Aaron Araujo
C/o 2022: Parker Hansen
C/o 2020: Maisie Brown; Jeffrey Caliedo; Jessie James, III; Zamari Morris; Evan Morrisey; Abigail Showalter
C/o 2019: Matthew Araujo
C/o 2018: Justin Bell, Sophia Bowley, Alton Chambers
C/o 2017: Jose Navas, Trevian Strong
C/o 2016: Lauren Allen
C/o 2015: Joseph Araujo
14 Consecutive Years of NFL/NSDA National Qualifiers
2024: Hart Jefferson (Senate), Clarissa Coleman (US Extemp), Miles Hansen (Internat'l Extemp), Sylvia Kassoff (World Schools)
2023: Hart Jefferson (World Schools), Aaron Araujo (US Extemp), Sylvia Kassoff (Big Questions)
2022: Hart Jefferson (Lincoln-Douglas), Parker Hansen (World Schools), LaBrenda Bell & Sylvia Kassoff (Policy)
2021: Hart Jefferson (Big Questions), Parker Hansen (World Schools), Aaron Araujo (Congressional Debate - Senate)
2020: Evan Morrisey (World Schools), Jeffrey Caliedo (Program of Oral Interpretation), Jessie James, III (Congresional Debate - House), Parker Hansen (Lincoln-Douglas)
2019: Maisie Brown & Evan Morrisey (World Schools)
2018: Alton Chambers & Christian Johnson (World Schools), Evan Morrisey (US Extemp)
2017: Jamil Johnson (World Schools), Jose Navas (House), Matthew Araujo & Evan Morrisey (Policy)
2016: Viviek Patel (World Schools), Lauren Allen & Jose Navas (Policy)
2015: Alliyah Taylor & Lauren Allen (Policy), Grafton Sykes & Viviek Patel (Public Forum)
2014: Alliyah Taylor (International Extemp)
2013: Graeme Campbell & Alliyah Taylor (Policy)
2012: Justin Porter & Carlos Rucker (Public Forum)
2011: Justin Porter & Carlos Rucker (Public Forum)
2003: Amile Wilson (Congressional Debate)
1970: Charles Garvin & Steve McDonald (Policy Debate)
1969 - Doug Campbell & Charles Garvin, Zachary Taylor & Steve McDonald (Policy Debate)
Hall of Fame Finishes
2019: Y'Sonni Pressley, Finalist, Declamation - NCFL Grand Nationals
2017: Mikayla Faulkner, Quarterfinalist, Prose & Poetry - Barkley Forum at Emory University
2016: Jamil Johnson & Trevian Strong, Champions, Public Forum Debate - Holy Cross