UIL Region - April 21-22

Clear Brook speakers represented UIL DIstrict 24-6A at the Regional meet held at Seven Lakes High School this past weekend and walked away with an alternate state qualifier - Greg Stuart.
After battling his way to the final round after placing 2nd in his preliminary round, Greg placed 5th out of students in the final round which gives him the title of second alternate to the state tournament to be held at UT Austin later in May!
Additionally, teammate Gabe Torres missed the final round by one rank and prose speaker Moyin Animashaun missed the final break in her event by only two ranks. Additional placements at the UIL District meet which was held at Clear Brook in March were Ariella Calili and Adith Jacob.
After battling his way to the final round after placing 2nd in his preliminary round, Greg placed 5th out of students in the final round which gives him the title of second alternate to the state tournament to be held at UT Austin later in May!
Additionally, teammate Gabe Torres missed the final round by one rank and prose speaker Moyin Animashaun missed the final break in her event by only two ranks. Additional placements at the UIL District meet which was held at Clear Brook in March were Ariella Calili and Adith Jacob.
NSDA District Strake Jesuit College Preparatory - February 24-26

Coming fresh off of their district winning TFA qualification total in CCISD for yet another year, the Clear Brook Speech & Debate team chalked up another winning total this past weekend at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. This past weekend, March 24-26th, found a 12-member contingent of the team competing for National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) national qualifying status for the annual meet to be held in June. This year the meet will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. At this weekend’s meet, the team had members competing in Informative Speaking, Original Oratory, International Extemporaneous Speaking and United States Extemporaneous Speaking.
After preliminary rounds were completed on day two, day three found eight of the team’s 12 members in either final or semi-final rounds. In finals for Informative Speaking, Misbah Aziz and Jasmine Tran took home the 1st and 2nd place wins respectively, guaranteeing them a trip to Nationals. Additionally, team member Isabelle Wills scored well in finals of Original Oratory, ending in the fourth alternate position to the National meet.
Extemporaneous speakers also did well at the meet. Although she did not advance to the final round, a semi-finalist nod goes out to Elaina Joseph, one of the team’s ambitious and accomplished freshmen! Those who DID place in finals for Extemporaneous Speaking were Ariella Calili who placed third, earning her place at Nationals as well as Greg Stuart and Emily Joseph who are the 1st and 2nd alternates respectively to Nationals in United States Extemporaneous Speaking. Additionally, senior Daniela Paul came away with the 2nd place alternate position in her event, International Extemporaneous Speaking.
Capping off a successful weekend was team officer Gabe Torres who was elected by the South Texas NSDA Committee to be their NSDA Student Leadership Council nominee, a committee that will be formed over the summer. More than 100 students from across the country will be interviewed for a seat on this prestigious council to positively impact speech and debate initiatives across the country going forward!
After preliminary rounds were completed on day two, day three found eight of the team’s 12 members in either final or semi-final rounds. In finals for Informative Speaking, Misbah Aziz and Jasmine Tran took home the 1st and 2nd place wins respectively, guaranteeing them a trip to Nationals. Additionally, team member Isabelle Wills scored well in finals of Original Oratory, ending in the fourth alternate position to the National meet.
Extemporaneous speakers also did well at the meet. Although she did not advance to the final round, a semi-finalist nod goes out to Elaina Joseph, one of the team’s ambitious and accomplished freshmen! Those who DID place in finals for Extemporaneous Speaking were Ariella Calili who placed third, earning her place at Nationals as well as Greg Stuart and Emily Joseph who are the 1st and 2nd alternates respectively to Nationals in United States Extemporaneous Speaking. Additionally, senior Daniela Paul came away with the 2nd place alternate position in her event, International Extemporaneous Speaking.
Capping off a successful weekend was team officer Gabe Torres who was elected by the South Texas NSDA Committee to be their NSDA Student Leadership Council nominee, a committee that will be formed over the summer. More than 100 students from across the country will be interviewed for a seat on this prestigious council to positively impact speech and debate initiatives across the country going forward!
Langham / Cypress Woods High School Swing - February 3-4

This past weekend, February 3rd and 4th, found a single member of the Brook Speech & Debate team out at competition, this time at the Langham Creek / Cypress Woods swing tournament in Cypress. Coming in to the competition, Greg had a total of seven state points in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking after picking up his most recent two points last weekend at Lamar High School. In the first half of the tournament on Friday, Greg fought his way to the semi-final round where he needed to place first or second but end up placing third.
Undeterred by this setback on Friday, he competed in the second part of the swing tournament on Saturday and placed second in both prelims and semi-finals which catapulted him to the final round where he placed third overall! This earned Greg six more points for the season, ending in a total of 13 state points which makes him the sixteenth member of the team now eligible to attend the TFA State tournament in March.
Undeterred by this setback on Friday, he competed in the second part of the swing tournament on Saturday and placed second in both prelims and semi-finals which catapulted him to the final round where he placed third overall! This earned Greg six more points for the season, ending in a total of 13 state points which makes him the sixteenth member of the team now eligible to attend the TFA State tournament in March.
Lamar High School - January 27-28

The Clear Brook Speech & Debate team returned from Lamar High School this past weekend with yet more state points and wins to their credit. Team members Hareem Tariq, Gabe Torres and Daniela Paul placed 2nd overall in World Schools Debate, while the speaking contingent of the team added to the team’s victories as well. These wins began with Danetta Paul who placed 5th overall in Original Oratory which nets her the first of her state points while the rest of the wins came from those competing in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking. Safiya Rafiq placed 3rd, picked up her first three state points while Greg Stuart picked up two more points for a new total of seven by placing fourth while teammates Khang Ngo and Abiha Altaf placed 5th and 6th respectively, picking up one point each. This brings Abiha’s total state point count to three for the season. Additionally, team members Adith Jacob and Emily Joseph advanced to semi-finals in this same event. The team begins to wrap its season in the next few weeks as they then prepare for the annual TFA State Tournament which will be held in Houston this year.
Clear Creek - January 20-21
As Brook Speech & Debate begins to wind down its regular TFA competition season, the team ended their week with the annual Wildcat Tournament at Clear Creek High School. The team walked away with two 2nd place finishes in debate – the first came from the World Schools Debate team comprised of Gabe Torres, Ava Soza and Ela Paul where they picked up an additional four state points for the season. In addition, Public Forum debaters Abiha Altaf and Merab Saim picked up their first 4 points of the season as a team.
In speaking events, team member Adith Jacob fought his way to the final round of Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where he placed 4th, picking up 3 points. Teammates Greg Stuart and Emily Joseph made their way to the semi-final round in the same event. Harris Babar, one of the team’s novices, made it to finals in the novice division where he placed 6th and was joined in the semi-finals bracket by Enrique Canales-Rosciano. Closing out the list of distinguished scholars this weekend was Danetta Paul who advanced to semi-finals in Original Oratory.
In speaking events, team member Adith Jacob fought his way to the final round of Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where he placed 4th, picking up 3 points. Teammates Greg Stuart and Emily Joseph made their way to the semi-final round in the same event. Harris Babar, one of the team’s novices, made it to finals in the novice division where he placed 6th and was joined in the semi-finals bracket by Enrique Canales-Rosciano. Closing out the list of distinguished scholars this weekend was Danetta Paul who advanced to semi-finals in Original Oratory.
UIL District 24 6A CX Debate Meet - January 16

Seniors Hareem Tariq and Daniela Paul spent their Martin Luther King Day representing CBHS Speech & Debate at the annual UIL District 24 6A Cross Examination Debate tournament where they placed first overall! This win allows the girls to represent Clear Brook at the State tournament in CX Debate at UT Austin for the first time in more than 10 years!
Last year's senior Iyad Chowdhury was the Regional champ in Lincoln Douglas Debate last year, representing CCISD at the State tournament at the University of Texas.
Alief Elsik Swing Tournament - January 6-7

Fresh off of their holiday break, Brook Speech & Debate students were back at it while attending the Alief Elsik High School swing tournament on January 6th and 7th. After the final rounds were held the team walked away with two more state qualifications, 22 more state points and one novice competitor who is more than half way to state qualification.
Leading the team in points this weekend was team historian and junior Ariella Calili who placed 1st and then 3rd in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking in the two halves of the swing. Needing only two additional points to her state qualification, Ariella picked up a total of 12 points, bringing her state total to an impressive 20! In addition, team secretary and senior Hareem Tariq made it to the final round of Informative Speaking in the second half of the swing and placed 4th which earned her two points, resulting in her state qualification, the team’s FIFTEENTH!
In addition to confirmed qualifications, two more members moved ever closer to their state goals, beginning with team member Greg Stuart. In the first half of the swing, Greg placed 6th in finals in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and then 5th in the second half which resulted in three earned points which now bring Greg’s point total to five, half of his state goal!
The team is also excited to announce its first novice competitor who is well on her way to a state qualification! Team freshman Emily Joseph, who has enjoyed numerous novice wins and trophies this season, has stepped up her game and competed in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, a varsity event. Emily appeared alongside Greg and Ariella in finals in both halves of the swing. She walked away with 4th and 5th places finishes, earning her a total of five points which, like Greg, puts her half way to her state qualification!
In addition to these finishes, team members Helena Simpton, Khang Ngo, and Abiha Altaf all made it to the semi-final rounds of their events, Original Oratory and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking respectively.
Leading the team in points this weekend was team historian and junior Ariella Calili who placed 1st and then 3rd in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking in the two halves of the swing. Needing only two additional points to her state qualification, Ariella picked up a total of 12 points, bringing her state total to an impressive 20! In addition, team secretary and senior Hareem Tariq made it to the final round of Informative Speaking in the second half of the swing and placed 4th which earned her two points, resulting in her state qualification, the team’s FIFTEENTH!
In addition to confirmed qualifications, two more members moved ever closer to their state goals, beginning with team member Greg Stuart. In the first half of the swing, Greg placed 6th in finals in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and then 5th in the second half which resulted in three earned points which now bring Greg’s point total to five, half of his state goal!
The team is also excited to announce its first novice competitor who is well on her way to a state qualification! Team freshman Emily Joseph, who has enjoyed numerous novice wins and trophies this season, has stepped up her game and competed in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, a varsity event. Emily appeared alongside Greg and Ariella in finals in both halves of the swing. She walked away with 4th and 5th places finishes, earning her a total of five points which, like Greg, puts her half way to her state qualification!
In addition to these finishes, team members Helena Simpton, Khang Ngo, and Abiha Altaf all made it to the semi-final rounds of their events, Original Oratory and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking respectively.
Clear Lake/Tompkins Swing - December 2-3

After their much needed holiday break, the team returned this past weekend to attend two meets in one weekend in Katy. Tompkins High School hosted meets for both their own school and Clear Lake High School. At this meet, the team secured five additional qualifiers for their impressive calendar year total of THIRTEEN – best in CCISD! These new qualifiers are Qaswa Khan, Simran Lama, and Maha Majid who placed 3rd overall in World Schools Debate with the help of their varsity teammates Ava Soza and Daniela Paul.
Additionally, Informative speaker Jasmine Tran took home the 1st place trophy at Tompkins to earn her state qual and Ayla Yoakum also picked up her qual by placing 1st at Tompkins and 3rd at Clear Lake in Program of Oral Interpretation. Fellow member Greg Stuart fought his way to the finals bracket at both meets in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where he picked up two points toward his state goal.
To round out the winners brackets this past weekend, Prose speaker Moyin Animashaun took home the 4th place trophy in her event while novice member Alim Merchant took home 3rd in Novice LD Debate. Additional members made it to the semi-finals bracket here as well before being eliminated: Claire Mayfield, Merab Saim, Hareem Tariq and Isabella Tripoli.
The team looks forward to a few weeks off before heading to Elsik High School during the first weekend of January to continue their Quest for their BEST and more state qualifications! The team total is now 13 with a cumulative point total of almost 200 – more than double any other CCISD campus!
Additionally, Informative speaker Jasmine Tran took home the 1st place trophy at Tompkins to earn her state qual and Ayla Yoakum also picked up her qual by placing 1st at Tompkins and 3rd at Clear Lake in Program of Oral Interpretation. Fellow member Greg Stuart fought his way to the finals bracket at both meets in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where he picked up two points toward his state goal.
To round out the winners brackets this past weekend, Prose speaker Moyin Animashaun took home the 4th place trophy in her event while novice member Alim Merchant took home 3rd in Novice LD Debate. Additional members made it to the semi-finals bracket here as well before being eliminated: Claire Mayfield, Merab Saim, Hareem Tariq and Isabella Tripoli.
The team looks forward to a few weeks off before heading to Elsik High School during the first weekend of January to continue their Quest for their BEST and more state qualifications! The team total is now 13 with a cumulative point total of almost 200 – more than double any other CCISD campus!
Katy Taylor - November 11-12

The Wolverine Debate team, fresh off of hosting their own annual meet last weekend, took to the road again and headed to Katy Taylor High School for their most current meet. Here the team found success yet again! The Worlds School Debate team of Simran Lama, Maha Majid and Qaswa Khan were aided by currently qualified Daniela Paul where they placed 3rd overall which brings the team within two points of their state qualification! The speaking contingent of the team also had notable wins, beginning with Jasmine Tran who placed 6th overall in Informative Speaking which earned her another point toward state, now putting her within a three point striking distance. Novice Extemp Speaker Stephen Wiggins fought his way to finals as well and placed 5th overall.
Additional noteworthy semi-finalists included Danetta Paul who advanced in Original Oratory, Greg Stuart and Safiya Rafiq in Domestic Extemp Speaking, Gwen Attanasio, Isabella Tripoli and Jolina Nguyen in Novice Extemp Speaking and Jasper Smith in Impromptu Speaking.
Additional noteworthy semi-finalists included Danetta Paul who advanced in Original Oratory, Greg Stuart and Safiya Rafiq in Domestic Extemp Speaking, Gwen Attanasio, Isabella Tripoli and Jolina Nguyen in Novice Extemp Speaking and Jasper Smith in Impromptu Speaking.
Atascocita - October 14-15

Clear Brook was at it once again this past weekend, October 14-15 at Atascocita – their first time attending this speech and debate tournament. This weekend was one where the novice contingent came out strong once again and saw two of their members – Stephen Wiggins and Victoria Constanza – make it to the semi-final round of Novice Extemporaneous Speaking. Meanwhile, freshman member Alim Merchant fought his way to the finals bracket in Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate and walked away with a 2nd place finish. Meanwhile, the varsity team racked up the team’s next five state qualified members to bring the team’s total to eight. The World Schools Debate team of Ava Soza, Gabriel Torres and Daniela Paul came in at 3rd place which garnered them their last four points needed.
In addition, Informative Speaker Safa Prasla placed 2nd while Aqsa Babar placed 3rd in Original Oratory – both wins which helped these young ladies seize the brass ring! Fellow Informative Speakers, Jasmine Tran and Hareem Tariq placed 1st and 3rd respectively which earned Jasmine her first six points this year while Hareem’s win catapulted her to nine points!
In addition to these wins, Ayla Yoakum placed 4th in her specialty event, Program of Oral Interpretation which netted her two additional points, culminating in eight points to date while fellow speaker Abiha Altaf took on her latest challenge in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where she placed 5th, earning her the first two points of the season. These wins resulted in the team ending the month of their October travels with eight state qualifiers, the best in Clear Creek ISD! The team now moves on to preparing to host their own meet at Clear Brook on November 4th and 5th.
In addition, Informative Speaker Safa Prasla placed 2nd while Aqsa Babar placed 3rd in Original Oratory – both wins which helped these young ladies seize the brass ring! Fellow Informative Speakers, Jasmine Tran and Hareem Tariq placed 1st and 3rd respectively which earned Jasmine her first six points this year while Hareem’s win catapulted her to nine points!
In addition to these wins, Ayla Yoakum placed 4th in her specialty event, Program of Oral Interpretation which netted her two additional points, culminating in eight points to date while fellow speaker Abiha Altaf took on her latest challenge in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking where she placed 5th, earning her the first two points of the season. These wins resulted in the team ending the month of their October travels with eight state qualifiers, the best in Clear Creek ISD! The team now moves on to preparing to host their own meet at Clear Brook on November 4th and 5th.
Bellaire - September 30-October 1

The Wolverine Speech & Debate team returned from Bellaire this past weekend, festooned with more awards and state qualifiers! The novice team came out strong with more than eight novice extemporaneous speakers in prelims, of which four advanced to semi-finals and two reached the finals bracket! Semi-finalists included Stephen Wiggins, Khang Ngo, Emily Joseph and Elaina Joseph, and the latter two made it to finals and placed 5th and 1st respectively! Elaina also placed 3rd in Impromptu Speaking.
The team’s first state qualification came as the result of the arduous work from Misbah Aziz who placed 5th in Informative Speaking which netted her the last point she needed to attend TFA State. Her teammates Safa Prasla and Hareem Tariq also placed in this event – 2nd and 3rd respectively – which puts them within a handful of remaining needed points to join Misbah at the state tournament in March. The second qualification came from Isabelle Wills who placed 2nd in Original Oratory while her teammate Aqsa Babar placed 3rd. Aqsa only needs three more points which she hopes to pick up soon.
The team’s acting contingent, comprised of Sheba Joshy in Dramatic Interpretation and Ayla Yoakum in Program of Oral Interpretation, also did well by placing 2nd and 1st respectively! This only adds to Sheba’s current state total of 14 and gives Ayla her first six points on the season! Fellow teammate Moyin Animashaun also advanced to the semi-finals bracket in Prose Interpretation. When the evening ended on Saturday, October 1st, the team was able to proudly walk away with all of these awards as well as the 2nd Place Overall Sweepstakes plaque and the 2nd Place Individual Events plaque for their efforts! The team heads out to Atascocita High School in a few weeks to add to their impressive and district-leading totals.
The team’s first state qualification came as the result of the arduous work from Misbah Aziz who placed 5th in Informative Speaking which netted her the last point she needed to attend TFA State. Her teammates Safa Prasla and Hareem Tariq also placed in this event – 2nd and 3rd respectively – which puts them within a handful of remaining needed points to join Misbah at the state tournament in March. The second qualification came from Isabelle Wills who placed 2nd in Original Oratory while her teammate Aqsa Babar placed 3rd. Aqsa only needs three more points which she hopes to pick up soon.
The team’s acting contingent, comprised of Sheba Joshy in Dramatic Interpretation and Ayla Yoakum in Program of Oral Interpretation, also did well by placing 2nd and 1st respectively! This only adds to Sheba’s current state total of 14 and gives Ayla her first six points on the season! Fellow teammate Moyin Animashaun also advanced to the semi-finals bracket in Prose Interpretation. When the evening ended on Saturday, October 1st, the team was able to proudly walk away with all of these awards as well as the 2nd Place Overall Sweepstakes plaque and the 2nd Place Individual Events plaque for their efforts! The team heads out to Atascocita High School in a few weeks to add to their impressive and district-leading totals.
Memorial/Spring Woods Swing - September 23-24

The Wolverine Debate team was out this past weekend, September 23-24 at Spring Woods High School participating in their annual swing tournament. At the end of the arduous two-day meet, the team returned with its first team qualification for state and more members who are closer to that brass ring! Varsity member and junior Sheba Joshy placed 1st in Dramatic Interpretation to achieve this status while Misbah Aziz placed 3rd in Informative Speaking, adding three points to her state total which now stands at nine. In addition, the World Schools Debate team of Daniela Paul, Gabriel Torres, and Ava Soza fought their way to the quarter-finals round which earned them two points, bringing their total to eight. The team continues their season at Bellaire next weekend. Also making it to the semi-final rounds in their respective events were Hareem Tariq, Safa Prasla, Isabelle Wills and Ayla Yoakum.
Clear Falls - September 16-17

The Wolverine Debate team returned from its largest attended meet this year at Clear Falls High School which occurred September 16th and 17th. Ending the night with Second Place Sweepstakes was the result of numerous students making it to finals and placing in the top three of almost every event. To begin, the World Schools Debate teams of Ela Paul / Gabe Torres / Ava Soza and Maha Majid / Simran Lama / Qaswa Khan closed out the event in finals and took 1st and 2nd places respectively. This places both teams near, or more than half way, to their state qualification statuses. Novice Speakers, Elaina Joseph, Emily Joseph and Stephen Wiggins also found great success at their first meet of the season. In the speaking events of Impromptu and Novice Extemporaneous Speaking, they placed between 1st and 6th place.
Informative Speaking contestants Misbah Aziz, Safa Prasla and Hareem Tariq took home the top three awards in their event respectively. This came with the added benefit of state points in the order of six, four and three, which puts them well on their way to qualification by years’ end. Additionally, Oratory speakers Isabelle Wills and Aqsa Babar placed 2nd and 3rd which earned them four and three points respectively toward their state goal.
They were followed by team Historian and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaker Ariella Calili who placed 2nd , bringing her state total to six and Sheba Joshy who placed 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation, earning her first four points of the season.In addition to state points, many of these competitors also walked away with NIETOC and University of Kentucky bids that could allow them to attend national meets later in the second semester.
Informative Speaking contestants Misbah Aziz, Safa Prasla and Hareem Tariq took home the top three awards in their event respectively. This came with the added benefit of state points in the order of six, four and three, which puts them well on their way to qualification by years’ end. Additionally, Oratory speakers Isabelle Wills and Aqsa Babar placed 2nd and 3rd which earned them four and three points respectively toward their state goal.
They were followed by team Historian and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaker Ariella Calili who placed 2nd , bringing her state total to six and Sheba Joshy who placed 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation, earning her first four points of the season.In addition to state points, many of these competitors also walked away with NIETOC and University of Kentucky bids that could allow them to attend national meets later in the second semester.
Foster/Fulshear Swing - August 26-27

The weekend found only a small crew of the team's leadership out for the first meet of the season at the second half of the swing tournament hosted by Foster High School but wins were still had!! Team Vice-President Misbah Aziz found herself with a cumulative average after two rounds of Informative Speaking of 7 but she needed a 5 to break into the final bracket. In Domestic Extemporaneous, team Historian Ariella Calili found herself in the final round where she finished 5th of more than almost 30 competitors. This finish earned her the first two points of her needed ten to qualify for state! The team will travel to Clear Falls in September to build their point total and introduce novice team members to some exciting events and experiences!