The CHS Speech and Debate team has been known for their outstanding achievements in competitions throughout the year. At the most recent senior-only tournament, the Martin Luther King (MLK) Invitational, two parliamentary teams from CHS were the two final teams of the competition. The event took place at James Logan High School in Oakland from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18. As a result of this tournament, Andrew Lopez and Gavin Greene climbed to a first-place ranking in the United States, while Sharon Musa and Dominic Schnabel ascended to an eighth-place national ranking.

“It is still taking a while to sink in. It was a great tournament with a lot of really fierce competition,” Lopez said. “I look forward to facing a lot of the same teams in April at the Tournament of Champions. It should be a fun and entertaining time.”

Because they eliminated all of the other 135 parliamentary teams that participated in the tournament (they did not face off against each other in the final round), Greene, Lopez, Musa, and Schnabel all earned entry into the Tournament of Champions (Cal Cup) in April.

“It was a good boost to our morale for the two of us to do better in the rest of the year,” Musa said. “The ranking does not really mean much to us because it is just a number. However, it is nice to see that the work we have put in is appreciated.”

These parliamentary teams have worked hard for years, and now it’s really paying off. Still, they have future tournaments to prepare for, and more work to do to succeed in future tournaments.

For more information on the MLK Tournament, please visit the debate community’s Parli Website.