[home page last updated 7/28/19]
Click this link to be taken to the latest pics & results:
www.velasquezacademy.com/results/
Thank you for visiting our web site! Even though our small squad has had the absurd good fortune of producing sixteen State Champions, eight National Finalists and a National Champion in four of the last five years, we tend to update this site haphazardly, mostly pictures on the Results page as the year goes by and the final spots at the end of each school year. On this page and others, you will find info about our philosophy and deeper detail on our many winners, though we define winning more broadly than most speech academies. Along with our state and national champions, we call “winners” whomever dares to think independently and incessantly strive for new personal bests. Those who overcome fear and the defy the beckon of complacency are those whom we celebrate and recall as “winners.”
National Champions Hall of Fame
7th Grd Adrian Baek, 2019 State & Nat’l Champ in Congressional Debate! CA Results: Congress-1st, Declamation-5th, Impromptu & Informative-7th
Yahoo News lists 2019’s National Champion middle school students & coaches
Velasquez 7th Grader Joie Zhang (tutored in LD by Academy of Higher Learning) takes 1st Place in debate at Nationals in 2017!
7th Grd Carly Granda, 2016 National Champion in Informative Speaking!
CA Career: State Finalist in Informative & Congressional Debate (twice)
8th Grd Jack Xiao, 2015 State & Nat’l Champion – Congressional Debate!
CA Results: Congress (1st), Finalist in Extemporaneous & Original Oratory
National Finalists Hall of Fame
2016 8th Grd Dorothy Vassantachart: Tied for 1st in the US in both Impromptu & Original Oratory (but tie broken down to 3rd in each). Our second to advance in four events at one Nats and first to do so at State! CA career: 1st in Impromptu & Oratory. 2nd in Declamation (twice), Poetry & Impromptu. 4th in Congressional Debate & Poetry. Second most NSDA career speaker points in the nation. Wow.
2018 6th Grd Lizzie Vassantachart: 3rd in the U.S. in Declamation (one rank short of a three-way tie for 1st Place) & 14th in Prose Interpretation! CA career: 1st in Informative, 2nd in Declamation, Finalist in Congress
2015 8th Grd Rachel Kho: 4th in Prose, 8th in Duo, 12th in Declamation!
CA Career: Drama-2nd, Duo-2nd & 3rd, Finalist in Declamation & Prose
Catherine Tanidjaja: 7th (Oratory), 8th (Duo), 8th (Declamation), 22nd (Storytelling) in 2015. Our first to advance in four events at one Nats!
CA Career: Declamation (1st), Original Oratory (2nd), Duo (2nd & 3rd)
2019: 8th Grd Jaden Wee – 6th in Declamation, 12th in Storytelling. Our second to quadruple-advance at State! CA results: Declamation (2nd), Storytelling (4th), Humorous (5th), SpAr Debate (6th), all as a rookie!
[NSDA picture forthcoming]
2015 8th Grd Christian Sim – Finalist in Congressional Debate. Second in California (2014), CA Finalist in 2015. 5th Most Speaker Points in the U.S.
2018-2019 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
1st in U.S. – Congressional Debate
6th in the U.S. – Declamation
12th in U.S. – Storytelling
2019 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate Championship Results
1st in California – Congressional Debate
2nd in California – Declamation
3rd in California – Congressional Debate
4th in California – Humorous Interpretation
5th in California – Expository Speaking
5th in California – Declamation
6th in California – Spontaneous Argumentation
6th in California – Storytelling
7th in California – Impromptu Speaking
7th in California – Declamation
2019 California State Middle School Championship Results
2017-2018 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
3rd in U.S. – Declamation
14th in U.S. – Storytelling
2018 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate Championship Results
1st in California – Informative
3rd in California – Declamation
3rd in California – Informative
6th in California – Duo
10th in California – Congressional Debate
2018 California State Middle School Championship Results
2016-2017 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
1st in U.S. – LD Debate (LD guidance by Academy of Higher Learning)
Top 9 (tie) in U.S. – Original Oratory
Top 11 (tie) in U.S. – Original Oratory
Top 12 in U.S. – Congressional Debate
Top 28 in U.S. – Declamation
2017 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate Championship Results
1st in California – Original Oratory
2nd in California – Declamation (5th Grader)
4th in California – Congressional Debate
4th in California – Declamation
5th in California – Prose Interpretation (5th Grader)
6th in California – Dramatic Interpretation
6th in California – Informative Speaking
6th in California – Original Oratory
6th in California – Congressional Debate
6th in California – Declamation
6th in California -Prose Interpretation (5th Grader)
7th in California – Congressional Debate
7th in California – Declamation
7th in California – Prose Interpretation (5th Grader)
8th (tie) in California – Impromptu Speaking
8th (tie) in California – Declamation
8th in California – Prose Interpretation (5th Grader)
9th in California – Prose Interpretation
10th in California – Informative Speaking (5th Grader)
10th in California – Prose Interpretation (5th Grader)
2017 California Middle School Speech & Debate Tournament Results
2015-2016 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
1st in the United States – Informative Speaking
3rd in the United States – Impromptu Speaking
3rd in the United States – Original Oratory
7th in the United States – Informative Speaking
12th in the United States – Declamation
2016 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate Championship Results
1st in California – Original Oratory
2nd in California – Declamation
3rd in California – Impromptu Speaking
3rd in California – Informative Speaking
4th in California – Informative Speaking
5th in California – Informative Speaking
6th in California – Poetry Interpretation
8th in California – Congressional Debate
8th (tie) in California – Declamation
10th in California – Congressional Debate
2016 California Middle School Speech & Debate Tournament Results
2014-2015 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
1st in the United States – Congressional Debate
4th in the United States – Prose Interpretation
7th in the United States – Original Oratory
8th in the United States – Duo Interpretation
8th in the United States – Congressional Debate
9th in the United States – Declamation
10th in the United States – Declamation
2015 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate National Championship (full results link)
1st in California – Congressional Debate
1st in California – Declamation
2nd in California – Dramatic Interpretation
2nd in California – Poetry Interpretation
3rd in California – Duo Interpretation
4th in California – Congressional Debate
4th in California – Declamation
4th in California – Extemporaneous Speaking
5th in California – Original Oratory
5th in California – Congressional Debate
6th in California – Dramatic Interpretation
6th in California – Declamation
7th in California – Congressional Debate
7th in California – Impromptu Speaking
8th in California – Congressional Debate
9th in California – Original Oratory
9th in California – Congressional Debate
10th in California – Impromptu Speaking
10th in California – Declamation
2015 California Middle School Speech & Debate State Championship (full results link)
2013-2014 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
13th in the United States – Original Oratory
16th in the United States – Declamation
20th in the United States – Congressional Debate
22nd in the United States – Duo Interpretation
2014 U.S. Middle School Speech & Debate National Championship (full results link)
1st in California – Impromptu Speaking
2nd in California – Congressional Debate
2nd in California – Original Oratory
2nd in California – Dramatic Interpretation
2nd in California – Declamation
4th in California – Congressional Debate
5th in California – Duo Interpretation
5th in California – Congressional Debate
2014 California Middle School Speech & Debate State Championship (full results link)
The new year has already seen amazing performances and 1st Place performance from nearly everyone on the team! We are proud to produce champions at every grade level, which can easily be kept track of here: www.velasquezacademy.com/results
The year started off with a bang with Hilda Velasquez-Galvez finally getting her points properly reflected and zooming to #1 in Western Los Angeles County and #2 in California among ALL speakers over the last three years. Amazing job Hilda!
2014-2015 School Year:
The YouTube playlists below are edited filmings of our middle school awards from 1) Fall 2014 (1st Places only), 2) Nationals in June 2015 (our seven entries in the National Top 10, including Rachel Kho taking 4th in Prose and Jack Xiao taking 1st in Congress) 3) Fall 2014 all trophy recipients, including many that came against high school competitors):
