Three recent graduates of J. P. Taravella High School School earned high honors at the 2009 National Forensic League National Tournament held June 14 - 16 in Birmingham, Alabama. The competition attracted over 3,500 students from all 50 states.
John Mern was sixth in the nation in the United States Extemporaneous Speaking category and the team of Brian Zakarin and Mickael Silangil earned fourth place in the nation in Public Forum Debate. All three students graduated from Taravella in June.
United States Extemporaneous Speaking requires students to prepare a speech concerning a domestic topic with only 30 minutes of preparation time. Public Forum Debate requires students to debate controversial issues in a team format.
The National Forensic League is the nation’s oldest and largest speech and debate honor society. Its mission is to promote secondary school speech and debate activities and interscholastic competition as a means to develop a student’s lifelong skills and values, as well as the public’s awareness of the value of speech, debate and communication education.
Debate and Forensics at J.P. Taravella High School is coached by Beth Goldman, a four diamond key coach with 27 years of experience.
Broward County Public Schools is the nation's sixth largest public school system and the largest fully
accredited district with over 255,000 students in more than 280 schools and education centers.
