Speech and Debate in Competition Mode 

Members of the Potomac Speech and Debate team competed in two tournaments over the weekend. 

Last Friday in Richmond, senior Olivia Eads won the Virginia NSDA national qualifier and state championship in senate congressional debate, and Adrian Atwater '24 placed fifth. Potomac dominated the house congressional debate with Armaan Sethi '26 taking second, Kasim Khapra '25 taking third, Ethan Maher '25 placing fourth, Avi Agrawal '26 taking sixth, and Alexander Bauer ’25 placing eighth overall. The Potomac team added the Virginia state title in congressional debate to the state speech championship won in March!

We then had four students immediately travel to Lexington, KY to compete in the Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky for four days of consecutive speech and debate competitions. This tournament is reserved for those who earned championship bids throughout the season. Seven Potomac School students were eligible and attended the annual challenge.  

The Public Forum debate team of seniors Eads and Natalie Roots-Nowakowski ‘23 captured second place in the PF silver division – the highest Potomac debate finish at the TOC since the early 2000s. After defeating the BC Academy of British Columbia in the prelims, the Canadians bested them for the championship. 

Maher and Sethi were named semi-finalists in the congressional debate. Taylor Burris '24 advanced to the quarterfinals of extemp speaking, and Hannah de Souza '25 earned a slot in the semifinals of oral Interpretation.