LAS CRUCES— After competing in a statewide qualifying tournament this past month, Mayfield High School (MHS) freshman Mireya Sanchez-Maes was named one of only 41 New Mexico high school students, and the only student from Las Cruces, to qualify for the 2017 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Tournament from June 18-24 in Birmingham, AL.
“It’s an honor to see such talented student go on to represent Mayfield at the National level,” MHS Principal Eric Fraass.
Sanchez-Maes qualified for national tournament based on her approximately 10-minute long persuasive speech, about procrastination, in the Original Oratory category. In addition to competing in the Original Oratory category at the national level, Sanchez-Maes may compete in up to three additional categories and is currently considering competing in the Extemporaneous Debate category, according to Fraass.
Earlier this year Sanchez-Maes also competed in the 2017 Cave Classic Speech and Debate Tournament at Las Cueva High School in Albuquerque, NM, taking home first-place awards for her individual performance in the Lincoln Douglas Debate and Original Oratory categories. In addition, her team performance with MHS junior Brian Marquez earned the duo top honors in the Tournament’s Small School Sweepstakes category and a second-place win in the Duo Interpretation category.
The New Mexico high school students who advanced to the national competition represent a total of 16 different New Mexico high schools, according to NSDA officials.
The NSDA is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States. The Association provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities, and advanced recognition to more than 130,000 students and coaches every year, according to the NSDA website.