Speech and Debate Team Ranking and Tournament Updates

For the second year in a row, the Potomac speech and debate team finished in the top 100 of speech and debate programs in the U.S., according to the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). The association has approximately 3,500-member high schools, making this a top 2% finish. Not losing a step, the program currently remains ranked at number 78.

The speech and debate team performed well in a pair of local tournaments this past weekend. The Potomac team was led by Adrian Atwater '24, Elizabeth Forster '24, and Hannah de Souza '25. Additionally, siblings Thomas Shanmugam '26 and William Shanmugam '27 beat a debate team from Atlanta to win the DC Urban Debate League (DCUDL) event this past week.  

The team competes at the University of Florida this weekend and at St. Joseph's University in November.