The McHenry County College (MCC) Speech and Debate team took home several awards at the 2023 Phi Rho Pi Region IV competition March 24-25 at Moraine Valley Community College. 10 schools participated in the tournament.
Isabella Aguilar (McHenry) received a Gold Award for Dramatic Interpretation and two Silver Awards for Persuasive Speaking and Prose Interpretation. Angelina Smith (Crystal Lake) won a Silver Award for Dramatic Interpretation and a Bronze Award for Prose Interpretation. Rodney Katushabe (Woodstock) and Jacob Hatter (Woodstock) won a Bronze Debate Team Sweepstakes Award. Also competing was Brennen Briske (Crystal Lake).
"This was the last tournament before the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in mid-April,” said Bonnie Gabel, a Speech instructor at MCC who leads the Speech and Debate program. “It's a great indication that the students will be strong competitors on the national level."
Gabel, who is also the Phi Rho Pi Regional Governor, served as the tournament director for the competition.
MCC’s Speech and Debate team competes in a variety of oral interpretation and public speaking events throughout the year. The group focuses on the performance of literature, platform speaking, and debate to enhance the development of communication skills.
MCC Speech and Debate students will share some of their award-winning stories and speeches at a Spring Showcase at MCC on April 6 at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. in room A211. Tickets are $5 and will help fund the team’s trip to the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in Bethesda, MD later in April.
For more information about MCC’s Speech and Debate team, contact
bgabel@mchenry.edu.
