By Shawn Nowlin
Once again, the Patrick Henry High School Forensics Team proved that when it comes to persuasive speaking, debating, storytelling, and poetry, they are among the best throughout the entire Commonwealth.
Often described as a track meet, forensics is the collective term for both debate and speech. Recently, this year’s PH squad, comprised of both underclassmen and underclassmen, won multiple championships at the 2023 Virginia High School League Forensics Championships.
Other area schools that competed in the tournament were William Byrd, Glenvar, Craig County, Staunton River, Hidden Valley, and Cave Spring, among many others.
When it was all said and done, Caroline Hancock earned 5D champion honors in the Prose category while Lea Wright & Amena Longi, and Isabel Braby, respectively, did the same in the Humorous Duo and Dramatic Interpretation categories.
Ren Combs-Canaday, fourth place in the Poetry category, and Autumn O’ Connor & Liliana Ponce, fourth place in the Serious Duo category, also registered points for their team. Collectively, PH was recognized with an honorable Sweepstakes mention for third place.
It didn’t take long for the Roanoke community to flood social media with words of encouragement and praise for what the team accomplished this year. “Congratulations to everyone! But an extra wink to my cousin Caroline Hancock for being a State Champ!!! You can do whatever you want. Claudine and I are so proud of you,” wrote Michael Villar on Facebook.
Expressed Michelle Adams on Instagram, “One of the best feelings in the world is accomplishing a team goal where everyone roots for each other and there is no jealousy. I didn’t attend Patrick Henry High, but I am aware of their forensics program because of how consistent they’ve been over the years. This team deserves all of the flowers for how they handled themselves and represented the Star City.”
Winning any high school state championship, regardless of club or sport, doesn’t happen without team camaraderie and hard work. From day one, head coach Brandy Arnold empowered her students to strive for greatness. All season long, the squad took every opportunity available to hone their skills.
Watching their students transform into confident performers is something any forensics coach would be proud of. Anytime Adams saw PH in person this year, she says it was clear that Coach Arnold trusted her players and vice versa.
Part of the celebration, when the team returned home was being recognized by Roanoke City Council.
