Congratulations to the Syosset High School Forensics Society—the school’s speech and debate team—for winning two of the four team sweepstakes at the New York State Forensic League State Championship held at Hofstra University in April. Syosset qualified 83 students for the competition and was the only school out of 75 from across New York state to win two team championships—in debate and student congress. Approximately 900 students competed.
In addition, the team produced four individual New York state champions: sophomore Ayesha Kamran in novice debate, freshman Jordan Korgood in oral interpretation, junior Christopher Moon in junior varsity debate and Faisal Younus in student congress. Syosset tied Scarsdale High School for the most individual award winners in the state.
Later this year, the team will send 33 students to two major national tournaments. Twenty-two students qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament to be held in Sacramento, CA, later this month, while 11 qualified as the top three in their respective events to represent the New York City district at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament to be held in Salt Lake City, UT, in June.
Earlier this year, the Syosset Forensics Society was once again named among the top one percent of speech and debate teams in the country by the NSDA. English teacher and NSDA Hall of Fame coach Lydia Esslinger is their long-time coach and adviser.
