Forensics Team Takes Home First Place Trophy

Students from (GCMS), Caldwell, struck gold when they participated in the Lancer Junior Invitation Forensic Tournament last month.

The middle school forensics team brought home 11 individual trophies, earning the trophy for first place overall. 

The competition was held at Livingston High School, Livingston, where the sixth, seventh and eighth graders competed against more than ten school districts and 90 students. The tournament is for students performing Oratorical Declamation and Interpretive Reading (Prose or Poetry) in grades 5 through 8. The event is run and judged by experienced "forensicators," who compete in both speech and debate at either a state or national level.

Sponsored by the New Jersey Consortium for Gifted and Talented Programs, Inc., Interpretive Reading is the first level of public speaking offered. Students are coached in their home schools and then read a prose or poetry selection in two rounds at a regional tournament. The top five students at each level advance to the final round. The top individuals and winning teams at both the junior varsity (grades 5-6) and varsity (grades 7-8) levels earn trophies.

“Many months of work went into perfecting these readings,” stated Claudia Douris, teacher and coach, in a release from Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools. “Students were up against very capable opponents from a variety of other school districts. They all did a great job.” 

At the varsity level, winners for the interpretive reading category included, first place for eighth grader Rachael Borrows and fourth place for seventh grader Roxy Wilcox. Winners for interpretive reading at the junior varsity level included, first place to Allie Wertz, fifth place to Ashvin Nagarajan, and sixth place to Brendan Padover, all sixth graders at GCMS.

In a in declamation competition, the students perform a speech or reading from memory and marks are given on the performance, including the expressions and the way the student speaks. GCMS earned six trophies in the declamation portion of the competition, including second place to Allie Wertz, third place to Brendan Padover, and fourth place to Olivia Carrara, all sixth graders participating at the junior varsity level. Varsity level winners included, eighth grader Rachael Borrows, first place, seventh grader Roxy Wilcox, third place, and seventh grader Lydia Wielgus, fourth place.