Chris Malhas, Taylor Dougherty and Michael J. Roets Jr. qualified to attend National Speech and Debate Association event in Birmingham, Alabama. Courtesy photo

The Princeton High School debate team is going back to nationals for the 17th consecutive year. The students are traveling to Birmingham, Ala., June 18-23 to compete through the National Speech and Debate Association, the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle, high school and college students in the nation.

“I was excited to find out we qualified for nationals,” said recent PHS grad Michael J. Roets Jr., who was also a state champion speech student this year. “It was my senior year, and I would have been upset if I didn’t qualify.”

Roets will be joined at nationals by incoming junior Chris Malhas and incoming seniors Ron Long and Khalil Miles, who are all competing in different events.

Roets will compete in LD debate, and Malhas will compete in World School debate, with contestants competing against students from other countries. Both Long and Miles will be in speaking events – Long in U.S. extemp and Miles in oral interpretation.

“I was nervous, because it was my first time competing at this level,” Malhas said of qualifying for nationals.

By Molly Halupka • Special Contributor • [email protected]

Editor’s note: Each year the students in the journalism program at PHS finish the course by writing press releases. The class partners with The Princeton Herald to publish the stories.

For the complete story see the June 22 edition of The Princeton Herald or click here for the e-Edition.