[home page last updated 3/10/18]
Click this link to be taken to the latest pics & results! www.velasquezacademy.com/results/
Thank you for visiting our web site. We update 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 constantly strive for new personal bests. Those who overcome fear and the defy the beckon of complacency are those whom we deem “winners.”
Congratulations to 7th Grader Carly Granda, 2016 National Champion in Informative!
2016 8th Grader Dorothy Vassantachart: 3rd in the nation in Impromptu & Original Oratory!
8th Grader Jack Xiao, your 2015 State & National Champion in Congressional Debate!
2015 8th Grader Rachel Kho: 4th in the nation in Prose, 8th in Duo, 12th in Declamation!
Catherine Tanidjaja: 7th (Oratory), 8th (Duo), 8th (Declamation), 22nd (Storytelling) in 2015
Velasquez star (coached in LD by Academy of Higher Learning) wins Nationals in 2017!
2016-2017 School Year:
Middle School (top placements only):
1st in U.S. – LD Debate (all LD coaching credit owed to 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 National Championship (full results link)
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 State Championship (full results link)
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 National Championship (full results link)
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 State Championship (full results link)
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):
