Millburn Forensics Team Completes Successful January

The Millburn Forensics Team, MHS’ most popular club and academic team, traveled around the state throughout the month of January, and is already off to a great 2013.

This past weekend, the team traveled to Bridgewater-Raritan High School and Union Catholic High School.

At Bridgewater, junior Eleanor Konrad won the prose event with her cut from Jodi Picoult’s “My Sister’s Keeper” and came in sixth place in poetry with a program on family featuring Sarah Kay’s “If I Should Have A Daughter.” Senior Allie Mazzella came in third place in original oratory with her speech on the beauties of life.

In varsity public forum debate, sophomores Will Besen and Anish Naik were champions. Senior Josh Bain and junior Sarah Gomez came in fifth. In novice public forum, freshmen Bryant Le and Austin Jiang came in fifth.

Throughout January, public forum students debated the resolution “ On balance, the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission harms the election process.”

At Union Catholic, junior Chase Harrison was champion of varsity extemporaneous speaking. In the junior varsity event, freshman Satyen Gupta was champion, sophomore Patrick Xi finished in second place, while sophomore Yi Wang finished in third place and freshman Mishil Boldbataar finished in fourth place and freshman Steven Song in sixth place.

Juniors Nathaniel Schwamm and Luke Tolman won the varsity public forum event. Freshmen Jake Gerard and Abir Thakur finished in fourth place in junior varisty public forum, while freshmen Patrick Hong & Simon Yang came in third.

Senior Claire Joffe finished in second place in oral interpretation of literature, with her poetry program addressed to “women who don’t consider themselves feminists” and prose cut of “We Need to Talk about Kevin.” Sophomore Lucy Grebin finished in second in the junior varsity event, with her poetry program of Grandits’ “Blue Lipstick.” Junior Lily Blumkin came in sixth place in original oratory with a speech on complaining.

Meanwhile, senior Yang Yi competed in Massachusetts at the Lexington Winter Invitational for Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate, where he was semifinalist. Lincoln-Douglas debaters have been debating the January resolution “Rehabilitation ought to be valued above retribution in the United States criminal justice system.”

On Jan. 12, Yi traveled to Florida, where he was champion at the 2013 Suncoast Invitational in Miami.

Also that weekend, the team traveled to central Jersey for the Freehold Township High School Fighting Opi Invitational. In junior varsity Public Forum Debate, sophomores Dylan Boyd & Max Kanef came in fourth place, and sophomore Dan Gold & freshman Zach Vinik came in sixth place. In the novice event, sophomores Ishan Pande & Denis Zou came in second place and freshmen Arjun Gupta & Raghav Chetal came in fourth place.

In impromptu speaking, Chase Harrison was tournament champion. Senior Max Sauberman was semifinalist in prose with his cut from Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie.” In declamation, senior Fallon Schlossman was tournament champion for her portrayal of Jill Bolte Taylor’s “Stroke of Insight,” while Claire Joffe finished in fourth place with Brene Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability.”

On Jan. 5, Chase Harrison was one of only 16 extemporaneous speakers to be selected to compete at the Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin in Tennessee. He came in fifth place and made the final round of speaking.

Meanwhile, the team traveled to Hanover Park High School. Senior Brianna Khong came in fifth place in poetry, and third place in declamation, performing a speech by slam poet Sarah Kay. Claire Joffe finished in second in declamation. Lily Blumkin finished in second place in oratory, and junior Andrew Singer finished in sixth place in humorous interpretation with his cut of “Ghostbusters.” Freshman Justin Shea came in fifth place in improvisational acting. In student congress, sophomore Josh Halpert came in third place.

The same weekend in Myers Park, N.C., public forum debaters Nathaniel Schwamm and Luke Tolman advanced to double octafinals at the Laird Lewis Invitational.

The Forensics Team looks forward to competing at the 2013 Ridge Invitational in Basking Ridge next week, and tournaments in February including Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and Montville Township High School.