LPS students secure medals at state speech, debate tournaments

April 6, 2026

Lincoln Public Schools students heard their names called early and often during awards ceremonies at the 2026 state speech and debate tournaments.
 
Competitors from East, Lincoln High, North Star, Southeast and Southwest returned home from their state events with medals. They squared off against fellow contestants in both individual and group categories.
 
Southeast head debate coach Steven Dosskey said the activities gave participants many academic and prosocial benefits. They learned about teamwork, critical thinking, work ethic and organization during their time in front of judges.
 
“As a coach, I continue to see the immense value of helping students learn how to analyze the world around them with objectivity, thoughtfulness and discernment,” Dosskey said.
 
East High School
 
East clinched the program’s fourth straight Class A state speech championship with a balanced scoring approach. The Spartans won medals in all ten events and finished the day with 312 team points.
 
Claire Rooney, Zach Johannes, Nolan Caldwell, Belinda Qiao and Gavin Foust guided the squad with state championship performances. Ethan Phan, Charlie Sanchez-Masi, Amelia Shupbach, Cora Thompson, Wade Combs, Andrea Hu, Juho Kim, Cooper Doell, Sawyer Shaner and Sloane Donahoo also netted medals for the Spartans.

From left, East High School students Belinda Qiao, Zach Johannes, Claire Rooney, Gavin Foust and Nolan Caldwell smile with the Class A state speech team championship trophy. The five Spartans helped East win the program’s fourth straight team title with individual championships. Rooney and Johannes each won two gold medals and Qiao, Foust and Caldwell each added first-place honors in their events.

Fifteen East High School students smile with the Class A state speech team championship trophy. They are standing in two rows in a school gym with a banner filled with state emblems behind them. East won the program’s fourth straight state team championship.

From left, East students Belinda Qiao, Claire Rooney and Charlie Sanchez-Masi smile with the Class A state speech team championship trophy. All three Spartans returned home with three state medals in their respective categories. They helped East win the program’s fourth straight state team championship.
 
Rooney and Johannes led East with a pair of gold medals. The two Spartans teamed up to win the Duo Interpretation contest, and Johannes added a title in the Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose category. Rooney soared to the top of the Oral Interpretation of Poetry standings, and she added a second-place medal in the Informative Speaking contest.
 
Rooney said she gained lifelong memories from performing alongside Johannes this season. She said their friendship helped them finish in first place.
 
“The best part about Zach and I’s duo is that we are best friends,” Rooney said. “We move seamlessly together and have incredible chemistry while performing because we simply love being together. We were able to practice so much because it didn’t feel like a chore. It simply felt like I was hanging out with my friend and creating art together.”
 
Rooney said she had fun spending time with all of the Spartans. She said the group’s dedication had made a deep impression on her.
 
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned from our speech team is what true work ethic is,” Rooney said. “Our team is in the basement every day after school until about 6 p.m. practicing. Whether it be peer coaching or working with our actual coaches, we are always doing something to better our speeches.”
 
Members of East’s debate squad used the same strategy to achieve state success. The Spartans placed second in team standings and had medalists in all four events.
 
Arnav Agarwal and Ronav Ganesh won a state title in the Public Forum Debate contest, and Brad Bobaru and Lucas Neamu pocketed second place in the same category. Cora Jones also vaulted East up the leaderboard with a third-place medal in Congressional Debate.
 
Head debate coach John Holen said he was proud of what the Spartans accomplished. Juniors and seniors comprised only 25 percent of this year’s roster, which gave younger students opportunities to step into key debate roles.
 
“It has been fun seeing them develop into more confident advocates and scholars throughout the year,” Holen said.

More than 30 East High School students and coaches are standing in several rows on a stage. The debate team earned second place in this year’s state tournament.

From left, East High School students Ronav Ganesh and Arnav Agarwal smile with their state championship awards at this year’s state debate tournament. There are several state championship balloons attached to a table behind them.

From left, East High School students Lucas Neamu and Brad Bobaru smile with their state runner-up plaques at this year’s state debate tournament. They are standing in front of a trophy case in a school hallway.
 
Holen said he watched students become more effective writers, researchers and critical thinkers in their debates. He said the activity also taught them how to disagree while still respecting the other person’s point of view.
 
“We have students with families from around a dozen different countries, a variety of religious backgrounds and a broad spectrum of political beliefs,” Holen said. “Despite this diversity of views and experiences, we are able to find common ground as we work together as a team towards a shared goal.”
 
Lincoln High School
 
Mahshid Farahmand etched her name in Lincoln High’s history books with her second straight state speech medal. Farahmand earned third place in the Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose contest. She became Lincoln High’s first state medalist since 2017 last year when she pocketed sixth place in the same category.
 
Farahmand said she likes participating in speech because of the connections she can build on stage.
 
“Regarding the personal aspects of speech, I enjoy acting in general,” Farahmand said. “I love expressing my feelings and getting to see my audience’s reactions as they follow the story that I share. Any emotion that I get from my audience fuels my performance and motivates me to perform even better.”

Four Lincoln High speech students and coaches smile together at the state speech tournament. They are standing in a row in front of a brick wall.

Lincoln High student Mahshid Farahmand places her state speech medal by her mouth as she smiles in front of a row of school lockers. She earned third place in her speech event.
 
Lincoln High head speech coach C Meier-Bates said Farahmand’s work ethic, dedication and focus have helped her reach many goals.
 
“She is one of the hardest working individuals I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, and it shows in the incredible amount of success she’s had in just two years,” Meier-Bates said. “This is Mahshid’s second consecutive year in Serious Prose finals at state, which is a huge achievement for anyone, let alone an underclassman. I cannot overstate how competitive high school speech is in Nebraska, so to have her recognized as one of the top three competitors in her sophomore year is amazing.”
 
Farahmand said she has learned about confidence, leadership and sportsmanship from her speech schedule. She said those traits have paid off in other school pursuits.
 
“Being a busy person with many activities and doing speech as one of my main passions, it has taught me important skills such as time management and active communication,” Farahmand said. “Doing many sports, being a student in the International Baccalaureate program and doing speech at the same time is an intense amount of commitment which requires these skills that I have gained.”
 
North Star High School
 
Mabruke Mumade secured the second state medal of her speech career with a sixth-place award in the Persuasive Speaking contest. She earned fifth place in the same event in 2024.
 
North Star head speech coach Alison Finn-Couch said Mumade’s leadership and poise have made her a role model for many people across Nebraska.
 
“She is the kind of young woman who is easy to root for and be proud of because she embodies grace, dedication and curiosity,” Finn-Couch said. “Other teams’ coaches and parents have said that they love her because of how she holds herself in rounds and how kind she is to her competitors. Her placing in persuasive finals is wonderful and we are proud of her for that achievement, but we are more proud of how she carries herself as a young woman.”

Mumade said speech taught her many life skills throughout her career. She said the main lesson for this season was learning that there is always room for improvement.

“A few weeks before districts, I finally made the decision to rewrite my oratory despite my worries of having to start over, and it ended up all working out in the end!” Mumade said. “This lesson will continue to serve its purpose in all areas in my life, reminding me to always strive to do better.”

North Star High School senior Mabruka Mamude smiles with her state speech medal at this year’s tournament. She is standing in front of a banner with state emblems on it.

North Star High School senior Mabruka Mamude smiles in a school gym after receiving a state speech medal. Several representatives of the Nebraska School Activities Association are standing near her.

From left, four North Star High School speech coaches and students smile while standing together in a row. North Star senior Mabruka Mamude earned a state medal at this year’s tournament.
 
Finn-Couch said the 2025-26 season featured the largest team roster in recent memory. The squad also celebrated a record number of attendees at practices, top novices at meets and individuals who qualified for finals.
 
“More importantly, we had the most supportive group of people who are more excited for each other’s success than their own,” Finn-Couch said. “Each student came to practice eager for feedback and how to grow as a speaker.”
 
Southeast High School
 
Elise and Marin Weisser highlighted Southeast’s debate tournament with gold and silver medals in the Congressional Debate contest. Elise won the state championship and Marin earned second place in the category.
 
Both sisters said they enjoyed being teammates this year. They felt their experiences prepared them well for life after high school.
 
“Debate has taught me so many life skills and has helped me grow a lot as a person,” Marin said. “I have struggled with anxiety around public speaking and confidence surrounding that pretty much my whole life, and while I still have those feelings from time to time, debate has allowed me to grow my self-confidence in my skills. On top of that, I think my ability to communicate with others effectively has been a really important skill that I have gained.”
 
“I feel as though I have learned many life skills from debate over the last few years, but especially this past season,” Elise said. “I was lucky enough to step into the team captain role, which helped me advance my leadership and teamwork skills. Overall, debate has given me so much confidence and knowledge and has really helped me find out who I am.”

Nine Southeast High School students and coaches stand with their state debate tournament awards. They are holding trophies and medals in front of a trophy case in a school hallway. The debate team tied for third place in this year’s state meet.
 
Dosskey said he was proud to watch the sisters excel at state. He said it was a priceless memory to watch their faces when they realized they would receive first and second place.
 
“Elise and Marin have not only been incredibly diligent and determined in their improvement as debaters, they’ve also done a tremendous job of helping create an encouraging and inclusive culture within our team that makes waves far beyond their own performance,” Dosskey said. “They’ve helped create a rising tide that has certainly lifted all boats across our team.”
 
Sydney Kjeldgaard paced Southeast’s speech squad with a fifth-place medal in Informative Speaking. She said it was fun to present material to audiences on the topic of trauma bonding.
 
“I loved taking something complex and making it feel clear and relatable,” Kjeldgaard said. “Performing it meant a lot to me because it felt like more than just giving a speech. It felt like helping people understand something they might not have had words for before.”

Eleven Southeast High School students stand with their medals after the district tournament earlier this winter. The Knights competed in the state tournament. Senior Sydney Kjeldgaard guided the squad with a fifth-place state medal.
 
Kjeldgaard and Elise both said they were grateful for their time in their speech and debate activities.
 
“Speech has taught me how to be confident in my voice, even when I’m nervous,” Kjeldgaard said. “It’s helped me think on my feet, connect with people and trust myself in high-pressure moments.”
 
“Debate has led me to make many connections and I’ll be forever thankful for everyone I’ve met,” Elise said. “Some of my closest friends have come from the Nebraska debate community, so it was amazing to compete with all of them for one of the last times.”
 
Southwest High School
 
Southwest used medal-winning performances from six speech students to finish fourth in team standings. Grant Johnson and Audrey Haugen each won two state medals, and Claire Timperley, Cayson Witt, Danielle Ibe-Ikechi and Lyra Walsch each captured one medal.
 
Johnson guided the squad with a second-place finish in the Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose category. He also teamed up with Haugen, Witte, Ibe-Ikechi and Walsch in the Oral Interpretation of Drama contest.
 
Southwest tied with Southeast for third place at state debate. Addison Watchorn (eighth place) and Ean Munn (ninth) each finished in the top ten of the Congressional Debate contest.

From left, six Southwest High School students smile together in a row at this year’s state speech tournament. All six students are wearing medals around their necks. They helped the school finish fourth in Class A team standings.

More than 20 Southwest High School students and coaches are standing in two rows on a stage. The debate team tied for third place in this year’s state tournament.

2026 Class A State Speech Team Results

Lincoln East 312, Millard North 214, Millard West 58, Lincoln Southwest 54, Omaha Marian 36, North Platte 36, Bellevue West 36, Gretna East 34, Norris 28, Kearney 22, Papillion-La Vista South 20, Lincoln High 16, Lincoln Southeast 12, Omaha Creighton Prep 12, Lincoln North Star 10

East High School Results

Duo Interpretation: Claire Rooney, Zach Johannes (1st), Cora Thompson, Wade Combs (4th)
Entertainment Speaking: Nolan Caldwell (1st), Gavin Foust (2nd)
Extemporaneous Speaking: Charlie Sanchez-Masi (2nd), Belinda Qiao (3rd)
Informative Speaking: Belinda Qiao (1st), Claire Rooney (2nd)
Oral Interpretation of Drama: Cooper Doell, Cora Thompson, Sawyer Shaner, Sloane Donahoo, Wade Combs (3rd); Amelia Shupbach, Andrea Hu, Ethan Phan, Juho Kim (6th)
Oral Interpretation of Humorous Prose: Amelia Shupbach (3rd)
Oral Interpretation of Poetry: Claire Rooney (1st), Charlie Sanchez-Masi (4th)
Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose: Zach Johannes (1st)
Persuasive Speaking: Charlie Sanchez-Masi (2nd), Belinda Qiao (3rd)
Program Oral Interpretation: Gavin Foust (1st), Ethan Phan (2nd)

Lincoln High Results

Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose: Mahshid Farahmand (3rd)

North Star High School Results

Persuasive Speaking: Mabruka Mumade (6th)

Southeast High School Results

Informative Speaking: Sydney Kjeldgaard (5th)

Southwest High School Results

Oral Interpretation of Drama: Audrey Haugen, Cayson Witt, Danielle Ibe-Ikechi, Grant Johnson, Cayson Witt, Lyra Walsch (4th)
Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose: Grant Johnson (2nd), Audrey Haugen (6th)
Persuasive Speaking: Claire Timperley (5th)

2026 Class B State Speech Team Results

York 278, Omaha Skutt 144, Wayne 102, Gering 98, Plattsmouth 42, Minden 40, Auburn 28, Aurora 28, Schuyler 24, Sidney 18, DC West 12, Broken Bow 12, Holdrege 12, Elkhorn 12, Central City 10, Columbus Lakeview 10, Scottsbluff 10, Alliance 10, Platteview 10

2026 State Debate Team Results

1) Millard North, 2) Lincoln East, T3) Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln Southwest, 5) Lincoln High

East High School Results

Policy Debate: James Yu, Emery Jobst (semifinalists), Arav Kaushai, Jackson Littrell (semifinalists)
Public Forum Debate: Arnav Agarwal, Ronav Ganesh (1st), Brad Bobaru, Lucas Neamu (2nd), Sukruth Jangala, Shriish Sathish (quarterfinalists), Erin Suh, Josh Ng (quarterfinalists)
Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Jason Granquist (octofinalist)
Congressional Debate: Cora Jones (3rd), Jackson Lynch (14th), Ella Recker (16th), Tristan Saathoff-Salas (18th)

Lincoln High Results

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Henry Skretta (quarterfinalist)

Southeast High School Results

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Baran Safa (octofinalist)
Congressional Debate: Elise Weisser (1st), Marin Weisser (2nd), Braxton Weibke (10th)

Southwest High School Results

Public Forum Debate: Mayu Kadiri, Hussein Keshk (semifinalists), Catie Paulk, Madyson DiDomenicis (quarterfinalists)
Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Jase Williams (quarterfinalist), Weili Wang (quarterfinalist)
Congressional Debate: Addison Watchorn (8th), Ean Munn (9th)
 
Learn how activities like speech and debate can offer many life skills for LPS students. See more on our Get Involved page. 
 
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Published: April 6, 2026, Updated: April 6, 2026

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East High School speech students smile with the Class A team championship trophy at the 2026 state tournament. The Spartans earned the program's fourth straight state speech title. Five East students won individual state championships and the team had medalists in all ten events.