Campus debate team scores

    The NE Campus speech and debate team placed 11th in a national Phi Rho Pi speech and debate competition in Portland, Ore.
    The team recently competed with 70 other community colleges across the nation. Students Patreece Dade, Lisa Simmons, Stacy Bryant, Casie Wiginton and Jesse Estremo faced 450 other students.
    "It's nerve-racking," Wiginton said, "because you know that all the people are there to win, but they are also there to have a good time."
    The team competed in dramatic interpretation, poetic interpretation, duo interpretation, informative speech, persuasive speech, speech to entertain, prose interpretation, parliamentary debate and program oral interpretation.
    Dade received gold awards in drama and poetry interpretation, and Simmons received a silver award in prose interpretation.
    This year alone, the team has won 43 awards. Team members say the secret to their success is good leadership and personal commitment.
    The students said Lisa Bene-detti, advisor and director of forensics, and Phil Morgan, student coach, not only give out feedback in tune with the unique personality of the individual, but also let them know what works and what does not work.
    "You can tell by all the awards we have won in the last year," Simmons said.
    "They definitely know what they are talking about."