Seniors Danielle Ho and Maria Cashdollar and junior Zoe Sprott competed in the Parker School speech tournament on the Big Island from Jan. 17-19. The three were accompanied by speech coach Jill Sprott and parent Kelly Ho.

Debaters from 11 schools throughout the state competed in program reading, extemporaneous and impromptu speaking categories with hopes of qualifying for the state tournament in April.

Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama took first place overall while Parker School placed second.

The three Academy students did extremely well with all participants continuing on to the state tournament.

Cashdollar and Sprott placed in the top five for Student Congress. Cashdollar earned a medal for second place while Sprott earned a medal for third.

Sprott said, “I joined the speech team during my eighth grade year. Over the years, I’ve definitely become more comfortable with public speaking. I’ve also stopped being afraid of starting conversations with other people because of congressional debate.”

Cashdollar said, “I joined the speech team two years ago. Becoming a good debater depends on the amount of time you’re willing to put into it. If you want to get good, you’re going to have to work for it- it’s simple as that.”

Ho earned first place in the category of Impromptu Speaking.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot from other competitors: having to sit and listen to them really makes you evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses. You get an ear for what you could sound like. People who mumble or people who are very strong all have specific traits. Picking up on them over the years has really formed my public speaking skills,” said Ho.