Four talented students competed in the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament this Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29. William Clark, David Giersch, juniors, Isabella Scaffidi, and Silma Berrada, sophomores, flew to Sacramento, Calif. to compete with the nation’s best public speakers. 

Each competitor placed in a different category. Clark and Giersch were partners for the Duo Interpretation category where they condensed a one-act play, “Never Swim Alone,” into a 10-minute piece. This was their second year going to nationals where they finished in the middle of the field. This year, the pair placed 60th out of about 220 entries. “Our category is pretty unique because you have to convince the audience that the scene is really happening without looking at each other or touching each other,” Clark said.

The competition is set up so there are four rounds with six to seven people in each room, making each round about an hour and a half long. Three judges review each prelim round. “We had a few really tough rounds this year, as we saw in the prelim rounds the groups that ended up winning 6th and 5th in the nation,” Clark added.

“Watching the final or semifinal rounds is a frequently mind-blowing experience.  This year, there were probably at least 500 people watching the Duo final round, as at that stage of the competition, the pieces are the absolute best of the best and are a blast to watch,” Clark continued.  “It was interesting to compare last year’s final round, where most of the pieces had two to three characters were simply perfectly acted, to this year’s, which was characterized by pieces with four to five characters and tons of sound effects and realistic pantomime.”

Scaffidi qualified in the Original Oratory section where she gave an original 10-minute speech on mindfulness. “It is truly a beautiful experience to attend the national tournament. It’s so amazing to see students all across the country coming together to unite under one common love for sharing a beautiful message through words,” Scaffidi said.

“The competition was extraordinary this year, and I have a lot of ideas for how I can improve myself for next year. I did better than I expected, but of course I am incredibly disappointed that I didn’t break,” Scaffidi continued. “I know that my last performance was my best performance, and for that– win or lose, I am grateful to have ended the season on a positive note, and I cant wait for the debate national tournament next weekend actually!

“And of course — it is a bonding experience. As a matter of fact I found out on this trip I’m related to Mrs. Cicero! Overall, it was an extraordinary experience and I hope to be gifted with the opportunity to go back next year.”

Berrada competed in Dramatic Performance, giving a solo-acting piece cited from the book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Die With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch. “The national forensics competition was an amazing experience. The 48 highest scores in each category compete the second day. I was fortunate enough to make it to the second day and competed in the octo finals. So I’m currently ranked 40th in the nation out of at least 200 people. I’ve learned so much from seeing a variety of pieces and hope to come back next year even better,” Berrada said. 

Mrs. Angelina Cicero, English teacher and forensics coach, traveled with the students to California and could not be prouder of the students. “When we travel to perform, as much as we want to win, we also want to formulate a vision of how to take individual performers and our team to the next level by witnessing the best of the best from across the nation.  All three of our competitors delivered performances they were proud to share. What always impresses me about Homestead students is that whether they advance or not, they stay focused on judging their own level of performance against previous personal performances, noting their own growth and finding satisfaction in progress rather than merely obtaining trophies.  Public speaking is an art. My favorite thing about the weekend is hearing my students rave about great things they saw and discuss next year — sharing their vision,” Mrs. Cicero said. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

The competitors pose with Homestead alum and Mrs. Cicero in front of a luggage sculpture.

“People always say their number one fear is public speaking, and I understand that, but for us it’s our passion. There is something just so ethereal about allowing yourself be completely vulnerable to a group of strangers. Instead of finding panic in that vulnerability, we find motivation to do something amazing,” Scaffidi said.