Robotics, Speech & Debate team shine

It was a great run for Wimberley High School students competing in speech & debate and robotics. Some students and teams are already bound for state competition.

Speech & DebateSpeech & Debate

The WHS Speech & Debate Team traveled to Douglas MacArthur High School on Saturday, October 20, competing in various events and bringing home six winners.

Alexa Thompson placed 2nd and Evie Jennings placed 3rd in Informative Interpretation, a competition requiring students to author and deliver a ten-minute speech on a topic of their choosing. The goal is to educate, not advocate, as they deliver the speech from memory. WHS two-person teams composed of Dani Perez and Daniel Morgan; and Jasmine Cante and Maya Lewis; each tied for 5th place in CX Debate, a two-on-two debate that focuses on a policy question for the duration of the academic year. This format tests a student’s research, analytical and delivery skills. Policy debate involves the proposal of a plan by the affirmative team to enact a policy, while the negative team offers reasons to reject that proposal. Throughout the debate, students have the opportunity to cross-examine one another.

Sophia Fox and Elysia Becken placed 6th in Duo Interpretation. This event consists of two competitors who team up to deliver a ten-minute performance of a published play or story. Using off-stage focus, competitors convey emotion and environment through a variety of performance techniques including relationships and interactions between the characters. They use no props or costumes. Evie Jennings placed 4th in Poetry Interpretation. In this event, students use a selection or selections of literature to provide an oral interpretation of poetry characterized by writing that conveys ideas, experiences and emotions through language and expression.

“These students have been working hard, some of them throughout their high school years, and their commitment certainly paid off in the competition. We are looking forward to the next step and more stories of success,” said Kyla Brookshier-DeLeon, WHS Speech & Debate Coach.

The team will compete at James Bowie High School Nov. 2-3.

Robotics

State competition is already on the calendar for the WHS Robotics Team, “Sofishticated Science,” after they won 2nd place overall in the small school contest in the UIL Best Robotics Competition. These students tackled the task of creating a robot to balance on a suspended 2x4 that could reach out and pick up trash, and also researched and understood the problem of pollution in the oceans today. They created a 35-page engineering design notebook, exhibit and marketing presentation doing well enough in each category to beat many of the larger schools.

“This is only the second year for Wimberley High School to have a robotics team, so it’s pretty exciting that we are advancing. These students put in a huge effort to show up after long days of school and extracurricular activities to get all the pieces together before the match. It was great to see the different personalities come together as a team and get it done,” said Sarah Schmidt, WHS Engineering Teacher, STEM Club Sponsor and Robotics Coach.

They will be competing at the State competition in Frisco in late November.