The Needham Rocket Speech and Debate Team warmed up for 2018 on a frozen weekend at Newton South on January 6. The team ranked fourth in the forty school field.
Senior Jackson Segal was tournament champion in impromptu speaking and runner-up in extemporaneous speaking. He was joined in impromptu finals by fellow senior Emma Garber, who ranked 4th. Senior Sarah Sylvan’s third place informative was well received. The duo team of junior Shayan Raza and sophomore Annie Stein joined Sylvan on the third place dais, with with Raza ranking 5th in oratory. Raza and Stein both earned Tournament of Champions qualifying bids. Junior Aisha Tipnis soared to 5th place in radio, while sophomores Kelsey Rodini and Hannah Warn were 6th in novice extemporaneous speaking and play reading, in turn. Initial state bids were earner by Garber in poetry and junior Beth Markman in radio. Solid performances were turned in by ninth grader Sasha Rieser and Megan Yee in declamation, also with Rodini and Stein. Varsity extemper senior Matthew Yee, impromptu speakers Raiser and junior Raymond Shen, novice reader Allie Jiang, orator Sylvan and radio broadcaster ninth grader Srindhi Karlapalem all received accolades, as did Congressional debaters junior Male Mollerus and sophomore Sam Cogen. Principal Aaron Sicotte joined the coaching staff in judging for Needham.
