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AHSneedle

The student news site of Atlantic High School

AHSneedle

The student news site of Atlantic High School

AHSneedle

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AHS JOURNALISM GOLD SPONSOR

SPEAK at Bull Creek!

AHS institutes a National Speech and Debate Association tournament on October 27 and 28.
The+sign+up+for+the+tournament+hangs+outside+Trisha+Niceswangers+classroom.+The+tournament+is+held+Oct.+27-28.
Claire Pellett
The sign up for the tournament hangs outside Trisha Niceswanger’s classroom. The tournament is held Oct. 27-28.

“Great people who happen to be great speakers” is a slogan used by the AHS Speech and Debate team. This team gives students the opportunity to speak well and speak for something they believe in.

This year, the AHS Speech and Debate team is revitalizing a National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) tournament. This is the Bull Creek Invitational tournament. The tournament is occurring on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 of the 2023-24 school year. The team chose to institute this tournament to “honor and remember” the legacy of NSDA coach Timothy Shieff, who asked for this tournament to return before he passed according to coach Troy Roach. The 2023-24 school year is Roach’s second year coaching the AHS Speech and Debate team, and his goal is to create strong advocates. He aims to shape students into “great people who happen to be great speakers.”

The Bull Creek Invitational tournament holds opportunities for AHS students to participate in speech and debate without having to go far from home. At this tournament, students are able to participate in whichever events they’d like. This is a great opportunity for AHS students to gain NSDA points for their placement in rounds, and get the tournament experience that will help them to improve their future speaking.

Extemporaneous Speaking Captain Nissa Molgaard is excited for the Bull Creek Invitational tournament. “I feel very accomplished this year,” said Molgaard. Molgaard has been a member of the AHS Speech and Debate team since their freshman year, and continues to participate because “I love advocating and talking about subjects I’m passionate in. I have found a community that I love and continue to be in, specifically because of the community we continue to build,” said Molgaard.

I have found a community that I love.

— Nissa Molgaard

The Bull Creek Invitational Tournament is an important tournament for the AHS Speech and Debate team because it helps them grow community, support, and students’ speaking skills. This tournament encourages competitors to be “great people who happen to be great speakers.”

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About the Contributor
Alix Nath
Alix Nath, AHS Needle Editor
Alix Nath is a junior editor for the senior magazine and AHS Needle who likes to “dabble in a little bit of everything”, including The Javelin. Nath credits their brother Felix Nath, a 2022 AHS graduate, as the biggest inspiration for why they joined the journalism program. Nath’s proudest journalism accomplishment is their work on the senior magazine during their sophomore year. They made several writing contributions, major edits that aided the production of the magazine, and felt “really proud of how [the senior magazine] ended up because of the effort everyone put into it.” Nath’s journalism work strives to capture the “things you wouldn’t normally see,” shining extra light on the behind-the-scene processes of well-known events. Their tendency to dabble goes further than journalism. Nath is an active participant in AHS theatre - usually working as crew or tech, - speech and debate, concert band, marching band as a member of the color guard, and QSA. They draw happiness from school activities as well as their three cats and two dogs. A quote that would describe Nath and their passions best is, “I’m not always the best at things, but I try my best at things.”   By J. Molina

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