Within the past few weeks, Fossil Ridge High School’s Speech and Debate team competed at the Union Colony Tournament on Oct. 19, the Monarch High School Tournament on Oct 26, and Greely Central High School’s Tournament on Nov. 16.

At the Monarch High School Tournament FRHS competed against 40 other students from various Colorado high schools. Only six students place at each event, and FRHS had two students place, freshmen Mandarin Foster placed third and Aiden Dykstal placed fourth in Lincoln Douglas, a one on one debate about morals.

“I encourage more people to go,” said Senior Sanjukta Santra, “because people consider forensics really nerdy, that you have to be really smart and conventionally intelligent, you just need to bring some passion into it and you’re going to do fine”

Freshmen Ciera Dykstal and Lauren Fessler took first place at the Union Colony Tournament in Public Forum, where students compete in teams of two in a fact-based competition. Aiden took second in Lincoln Douglas. At this tournament students go to a specific room depending on what event they are competing in. Judges give feedback and vote on the winner of the events. FRHS’ team is relatively small compared to some of the other Colorado schools, like Denver East, which has 300 kids on its team. “My favorite part is being knowledgeable about everything because you really get exposed to things that you wouldn’t get exposed to normally,” said Junior Mallory Hale.

 At the Greely Central High School tournament, FRHS’ Public Forum team, Santra and Hale, took fifth place, winning all three of their debates. Public forum is a two on two debate about laws and facts. “Your partner can think of arguments that you wouldn’t have thought of, and working with another person can get frusterating, but in the real world you’re going to work with people you don’t like. You learn better social and communication skills with other people as well. PF is more logical, LD is more morals and valuses in general,” said Hale.

Senior Jason Morey was also announced superior speaker for the three rounds of Student Congress.

The state forensic qualifier is in March and so is the state competition.