Brentwood Academy speech team makes history at Harvard

Brentwood Academy Speech Team Makes BA History at Harvard

 

Brentwood Academy senior Cooper Smith displays his first place trophy earned at the prestigious Harvard Invitational in Boston in February.

Brentwood Academy senior Cooper Smith displays his first place trophy earned at the prestigious Harvard Invitational in Boston in February.

 

The speech and debate team competed at the Harvard University national tournament in Cambridge, with over 4,000 students from 350 schools from 35 states.

Brentwood Academy had its first Harvard national champion with senior Cooper Smith placing as tournament champion in Humorous Interpretation. Cooper has won three national championships this season at three different national tournaments in three different events (Duo, Humor, and Storytelling).  According to Cooper, winning at Harvard has been one of his speech and debate goals since he first visited the Harvard campus as a high school freshman.

Semifinalist (top 12) was BA senior Kayla Williamson in Original Oratory. Quarterfinalists (top 24) from BA  included Katherine Nesbitt in Original Oratory and senior Michael Rankin and Katherine Nesbitt in Duo Interpretation. Octofinals (top 50) included junior Maddie Jarrard in Original Oratory; and Michael Rankin, Grace Smith and Chris Clark in Humorous Interpretation. The BA speech and debate team, under the coaching of faculty member Ryan Hubbard, has had national finalists and a national champion at every national tournament attended this year.

Founded in 1969, Brentwood Academy is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory school dedicated to nurturing and challenging each whole person – body, mind, and spirit- to the glory of God.  The school is located on Granny White Pike in Brentwood.