News
Gabriel Frank-McPheter
By Zoe Perez
Gabriel Frank-McPheter, alongside the other three other freshmen headed to Dallas, will be performing U.S. Extemporaneous speeches. Though he is the only student participating in his event, he carries himself with confidence and works hard.
Gabriel has talent beyond his years. In U.S. Extemp, performers are given thirty minutes to develop three points to support their stance on the topic given to them. In thirty minutes Gabriel is able to develop a speech that sounds like he’s been practicing it for months!
His fluidity is unreal, especially for a student his age; his hand gestures and mannerisms portray the high maturity level he possesses. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Gabriel will give other U.S. Extempers at Nationals a run for their money.
photo by Noli Thai
Villescas Takes Charge
By Leslie Lim
As he and his fellow competitors argue back and forth on various policies that should be put into law, junior Samuel Villescas firmly makes his case. As a junior, Villescas has thrived in Debate and has qualified for Nationals in Congress.
“Samuel has always had extraordinary abilities, but this year, his work ethic has improved greatly,” stated Eric Chen, assistant coach. “His academic vocabulary for his speeches has also become much more refined.”
Although juggling various AP classes and sports, Villescas has always found a way to make time for Extemp and Debate. Both of which require great amounts of articulation abilities and a deeper understanding of political issues.
“The ability to express myself freely was something that eluded me and speech has helped me break my shell and express my ideas whether it be in politics or otherwise,” stated Villescas.
Villescas has had a firm belief that Speech and Debate has allowed him to bloom into the great speaker he is today. Qualifying to the National Tournament was a difficult path, but one Villescas embraced wholeheartedly.
“I missed my chance of [qualifying to Nationals] in Extemp, so I picked myself up and did the best with the next opportunity,” Villescas stated. “I think I’ve made the most of it in debate.”
photo by Noli Thai
Gabe & Bianca Have the Duo Magic
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Gabriel Pena and Bianca Lua’s performance is most definitely a sight for sore eyes. After an intense tournament season of ups and downs, the two secured a spot at the National Tournament. They’re bound to stun the audience in Texas and teach them the reality of superstar Selena’s life. It’s no shock that this dynamic duo qualified for Nationals.
Their interpretation is focused along the beautiful but short life of Selena Quintanilla-Perez and her husband Chris Perez. The talented young singer’s life was stripped from her when she was shot by her own agent, Yolanda. In their speech, Chris is overwhelmed with sadness and struggles to retell the story of his wife. With beautiful singing and intense scenes, Gabe and Bianca capture the story of the couple perfectly.
This is Bianca's first trip to Nationals so she will rely on the experience of her partner, Gabe, who has qualified for the third year in a row.
photo by Noli Thai
An Infinite Duo
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Khin Han and Jaden Raymundo will be competing at Nationals for the first time. Participating in Duo Interpretation, this pair of juniors is bound to leave the audience in tears. The genuine chemistry portrayed between the two is a key factor in their performance.
In their speech,
Khin and Jaden play young kids in love in their piece, An Infinite Ache. After growing up and getting married to each other, they begin to start a family. The burning love they share is intense but, after an unfortunate event, the couple begins to drift apart. Through heartbreak and intense fights, the marriage seems all but lost. However, in the end, love finds a way to overcome even the worst of situations. This a duo to keep an eye, and ear, our for.
photo by Noli Thai
All Freshmen Duo Makes Nationals
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Though only freshmen, Karyme and Vincent’s performance level is amazing. It might only be their first year performing, but it seems like the two have been doing it for much longer. This year they’ll be continuing to impress at Nationals.
Their speech is focused on two kids who fall in love at a young age and tragically lose contact when distance interferes. However, when they reunite in high school they show that true love doesn’t.
Throughout their performance, Karyme and Vincent manage to evoke a variety of emotions from their audience. Though it is only their first time qualifying for Nationals, this factor will not hold them back. After performing all year, we have faith that this duo’s hard work will pay off.
photo by Noli Thai
Laughing To Nats
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Senior Andrew Kumataka-Do will be competing at Nationals for the second time. Andrew will be performing in Humorous Interpretation, which comes as no surprise seeing as he keeps people laughing in and out of rounds.
Leading up to Nationals, Andrew was constantly cutting and adding to his speech. Even after performing in the final round at the State Championships and placing 6th in California and the Gab speech showcase, he is always trying his best to better his speech.
In his speech, Andrew tells the story of an awkward teenage boy battling to win the heart of his crush. With the help of his brother, the boy tries his best to get the girl by changing himself to make her like him. However, in the end, he discovers that being you is what’s most attractive. Throughout his speech, Andrew transitions through an impressive number of characters. At Nationals, his audience will witness how Andrew took this script and made it his own.
With his constant will to do the best, he is sure to make it far at the National Championships.
photo by Noli Thai
Melanie Tries to Keep Rollin' To Nationals
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Talented freshman, Melanie Hsiang, has been leaving everyone speechless all year long. From her amazing ability to imitate the Evil Queen from Snow White to a preppy valley girl, Melanie does it all. In her Program Oral Interpretation (Thematic Interpretation), Melanie combines different pieces of her choosing to create an overall theme of toxic relationships.
When Melanie qualified for Nationals, all her upperclassmen peers were ecstatic. After placing 4th in Program Oral Interpretation at State Champs, it was clear Melanie was destined to go far in speech. Now, she is one to look out for. When she finally hits the stage, Melanie will give her audience an unforgettable performance.
photo by Noli Thai
Joan Of Nationals
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Joan Tran, sophomore, also performed at the showcase, bringing down the house with howls and cries of laughter. There, everyone got a sneak peek of her amazing talent. From then on until now, Joan has been improving her speech to incorporate more detail and emotion to enhance her performance.
Joan will be performing her Humorous Interpretation, “The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merryweather.” Joan’s rendition is one definitely not to miss. She acts out the story of a middle school girl who has an enormous crush on her classmate who doesn’t exactly feel the same way. The girl goes through several heartbreaks and tries her best to bounce back.
As this is her first time qualifying for Nationals, she has no idea what she’s walking into. However, she’ll adapt to the Texan surroundings and settle in nicely, along with her other fellow Eagles.
photo by Noli Thai
The Force is With Sofia
By Zoe Perez & Noli Thai
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Senior Sofia Ramirez also blew people away at the speech showcase. She was the talk of the night taking people’s breath away with her amazingly accurate accent and stunning outfit. Unfortunately, Sofia did not qualify for State Championships. However, she turned the situation around by committing even further and working harder with her eye on the prize: the National tournament. At the National Qualifying tournament, it all paid off.
This is Sofia’s first time qualifying for Nationals. Though it’s her last year, there’s no doubt she’ll make a huge impact on her audience.
Sofia will be performing a Dramatic Interpretation highlighting the life of Carrie Fisher, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at an early stage in her life. While dealing with this emotional ordeal, Sofia demonstrates that life still goes on. She depicts the joy that, widely known and deeply loved, Princess Leia brought to fans. However behind the scenes Carrie Fisher dealt with addiction and depression.
photo by Noli Thai
Tang Takes Flight
By Zoe Perez and Leslie Lim
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
Motivated, talented, and inspiring.
This is how many people would describe junior Felicia Tang. Whether it be in varsity volleyball, varsity track and field, or Speech and Debate, Tang has garnered massive success through hard work and dedication.
“Her dedication to not just her events, but to the team helps the people around her grow,” sophomore Alexis Lay and teammate stated. “Seeing her work during practice drives me to work harder as an individual.”
Tang has been in Speech for three years, displaying promise when she qualified to the State Tournament as a freshman. Last year, she qualified to the National Tournament in Dramatic Interpretation as a sophomore. This year, she was State Champion of Expository and in June, will be competing at the National Tournament in the same event.
“Felicia’s boards are very intricate and reflective of her creative abilities,” teammate Kristie Tan, sophomore, stated. “Her artistic talents are impressive and I am constantly amazed by not only her boards but her speaking abilities. She’s really good at conveying emotions.”
This year, her Expository revolves around aviation and the different facets of flight. She shines a light on the past, present, and future uses of aviation, dazzling the audience with her bubbly personality and humor.
As she heads to Dallas this month, the Screaming Eagles hope that she will do well and take flight at Nationals.
photo by Noli Thai
Hoc Aims High
By Zoe Perez and Leslie Lim
As we count down to the 2019 National Championships, we are spotlighting several of our 21 Qualifiers in this on going series.
While many students shudder in fear when thinking about getting up and giving a speech with only minutes to prepare, junior Starlee Hoc, excels in Extemporaneous speaking.
“Despite how goofy and fun he may be, he puts more time and effort into Extemp that anyone else I know,” stated teammate Brandon Du, junior. “He keeps the event afloat and does everything he can do to help everyone succeed.”
Throughout the year, Hoc was challenged to balance his time with multiple AP classes, varsity Track and Field, and JV Cross Country, but remained focus on his goals in Speech.
“This year has been very tough for me going through junior year whilst maintaining a leadership role,” Hoc stated, “But the consistency and the drive to keep working allowed me to continue and get to me where I am now.”
This drive led him to qualify for the National Tournament for the first time in International Extemp. This recent success was not received without hard work and setbacks. Earlier this year, Hoc was unable to secure a position to the State tournament. However, he took that and used it in order to fuel his motivation to become better in Speech.
“I think Nationals is such an amazing opportunity for me and knowing that my hard work has paid off,” Hoc stated. “Knowing that I have reached this level has inspired me to be more.”
Hoc looks forward to attending the National Tournament and the Screaming Eagles hope he hits the mark this June.
photo by Noli Thai
Three Academic All-Americans
By Zoe Perez
Three speech and debate students, seniors Andrew Do, Kenny Le, and Jaycob Wahinehookae have all reached an academic peak in their high school career: national recognition as Academic All-Americans. This award is given by the National Speech and Debate Association (the second largest honor society, behind on the National Honors Society).
To reach this academic achievement, a student must complete at least five semester of high school. Students must also accumulate more than 750 points in speech and debate contests and an unweighted GPA of 3.7 or higher. Another way a student might qualify is 750 points, 3.5 GPA, and a score of 27 on the ACT or a 1300 on the SAT.
As an addition to obtaining this special award, the three students will be granted exclusive graduation cords for their work. “It’s special to see four years of hard work go into one award and I’m really honored about the fact that I did obtain it. I’m very humble about receiving it as well.” Andrew Do shares. “This award isn’t my award, it’s also an award to others who helped me along the way.”
These three students have become portraits of excellence, leadership, and dedication in speech. The team couldn’t be more proud of their procurement. They will take this achievement with them to their post-secondary education and will continue to display their brilliance wherever they go.
photo by Noli Thai
All-State Team
The 2019 California Speech and Debate All-State Team has been set. 16 members of the Screamin’ Eagles made the list.
The First Team is led by State Champion, junior Felicia Tang. Joining her are senior Jaycob Wahinehookae and sophomore Lauren Hamamoto.
Senior Andrew Do made Second Team All-State for the second year in a row. He is joined by fellow senior Stephanie Rubio and freshman Melanie Hsiang.
The honorable mention team features a solid group of five juniors. Francesca Pondevida, Sarah Vuong, Raquel Chavez, Jaden Raymundo, Khin Han will all be returning next year. Kayla Tran, Geraldine Ly and Alex Lai are three freshmen who came on strong at the end of the season. Bianca Lua was the only sophomore who made the list. Bianca’s duo partner, senior Gabe Pena, rounded out the team.
“To get 16 on there is very impressive,” the team remarked in a prepared statement. “To have 13 of them coming back next year is really exciting. The team had a rough start with such a small senior class, but they grew and matured to write yet another incredible chapter in the history of Gabrielino Speech and Debate.”
Way to go Screamin’ Eagles
photo by Noli Thai
The Screamin’ Eagles have consistently placed in the top 13 schools in America and have been THE top program in the southern half of California for 15 of the past 18 years. Only one or two of those schools ahead of us in America are Title 1 schools (low socioeconomic schools). Speech and Debate is an activity greatly favoring rich students and schools.
Donations help us give all 250 students various opportunities throughout the year and not just a select few.
If you would like to support one of the best speech & debate programs in America, please send check or money order to:
Gabrielino High School Speech & Debate Team
1327 S. San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Payable to: Gabrielino HS Speech Team
