The Atlantic speech and debate team celebrated its first break to final rounds of the 2015-16 season at the Bulldog Invitational at Bettendorf High School on Nov. 13-14.

Sophomore Rebekah Hallman advanced to the final round in her Program Oral Interpretation, which requires participants to select and read a combination of prose and poetry. She was one of 17 competitors in this category and placed fourth. 

Sophomore Gabriel Martinez competed as a Student Congress member, placing eighth out of 21 speakers.

A total of eight students and two coaches made the trek across the state for the two-day event. Students Max Elwood, Joshua McLean, Sarah Schorle, Trinity Zynda, Paige Bennett, and Kennedy Knueven attended along with Hallman, Martinez, and co-coaches Alex Bales and Trisha Niceswanger. 

“Our students participated in events ranging from Student Congress to the Interpretation events such as Humorous Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, and Program Oral Interpretation,” Niceswanger said.

Atlantic went against 17 schools from Iowa and one from Illinois. “Unfortunately, we experienced some car trouble on our way home. However, overall it was a successful weekend with students gaining speaking experience. We look forward to attending more tournaments later this year,” Niceswanger said.