Roosevelt’s Lily Nellans Selected for USA’s World Schools Debate Team

Two weeks after breaking the all-time National Forensic League’s points record in speech and debate, Roosevelt senior Lily Nellans has been selected for the nine-member team representing the United States in World Schools Debate.

The team takes part in debate competitions around the world, concluding in Thailand next summer.

Nellans is also a National AP Scholar, a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist, and a member of the Iowa Department of Education’s Learning Council, an advisory committee of high school students from around the state.

Below is a copy of the press release from the National Forensic League announcing members of the 2014 World Schools Debate Team.


RIPON, Wis. (December 20, 2013) – From more than 130,000 student members of the National Forensic League, nine students have been selected to the prestigious 2014 World Schools Debate Team.

“These students will represent our country in World Schools Debate,” said Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Forensic League. “This is an outstanding accomplishment and we’re extremely excited to see each student bring their unique skill set to the stage.”

The American team is composed of nine students from across the country. Together they will compete in a series of global debate competitions across the globe from Canada and Slovenia to Thailand and beyond.

Congratulations to the 2014 World Schools Debate Team:

Nikolas Angelopoulos Sophomore at Polytechnic School in Pasedena, CA
Danny Debois Senior at Harrison High School in West Harrison, NY
Sara Evall Junior at Harvard-Westlake School in Beverly Hills, CA
Daniel Garrison Senior at Holy Cross in Gretna, LA
Shania Hunt Senior at Northland Christian School in Spring, TX
Jane Irons Junior at Marlborough School from Beverly Hills, CA
Tiana Menon Junior at Palisade High School in Grand Junction, CO
Amelia Miller Junior at Harvard-Westlake School in Pacific Palisades, CA
Lily Nellans Senior at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, IA
Coaches:
Dr. Alfred Snider Director of Debate, University of Vermont in Burlington, VT
Aaron Timmons Director of Forensics, Greenhill School in Dallas, TX
Christina Tullangan Director of Forensics, Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks, CA
Team Manager:
Cindi Timmons Greenhill School in Dallas, TX

World Schools style debate features a dynamic format combining the concepts of “prepared” topics with “impromptu” topics, encouraging debaters to focus on specified issues rather than debate theory or procedural arguments.

About the League
The National Forensic League is the honor society for middle and high school speech and debate. The nonprofit organization believes communication skills are essential for empowering youth to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals, and honorable leaders in our global society. The League connects, supports, and inspires a diverse community of honor society members committed to fostering excellence in young people through competitive speech and debate activities. Since 1925, more than 1.4 million students have participated in the League, with 130,000 active members representing more than 3,000 schools. The League awards more than $200,000 in college scholarships at its annual National Speech & Debate Tournament, the largest academic competition in the world. Visit www.nationalforensicleague.org for more information.