(BIVN) – The Hilo High School debate team placed second in the State Debate Tournament recently held on Oʻahu. 

The Vikings were the only neighbor island public school team competing at the debate tournament held at Kamehameha Schools – Kapalama from April 4th to 5th. The event is hosted by the Hawaii Speech League. 

Parker School in Waimea also participated. 

photo courtesy Hilo High School

“We did our best in the debates and were able to stay competitive with some of the top teams in the state,” stated junior student Keoni Randolph in a school news release. “We aim to repeat this success next season.”

Sophomore Senaka Reddy added, “We’ve improved 100 percent from last year’s state competition and hope we can continue developing these skills.”

From the Hilo High School news release:

This is Randolph and Reddy’s second season of debating for Hilo High and also their second time qualifying for the State Tournament. They compete in Advanced Public Forum debate which is a two vs two format that flips for either the AFFIRMATIVE or NEGATIVE side. They debated the resolution, The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in domestic nuclear energy.

Also competing at the State Tournament was Hilo High Senior John Tagaca. This was Tagaca’s first season as a Novice Lincoln-Douglas debater, which he said he enjoys due to the opponents not being overly-aggressive in rounds.

Tagaca, Randolph and Reddy participated along with their coaches, Hilo High teachers Elizabeth Laliberte and Amy Baum, who served as judges. Laliberte started the team in 2017 along with her husband Roland. This is her fourth time bringing a team to the state competition but she’s optimistic of many future opportunities, now that Baum has joined the team as co-advisor and coach.

Laliberte says the team is always on the lookout for community members interested in judging debate rounds or other teams looking to practice. The team also welcomes financial donations to defray the cost of tournament travel.

Anyone interested in supporting Viking Speech and Debate should contact Coach Elizabeth Laliberte at (808) 313-5663 or elizabeth.laliberte@k12.hi.us.