Bozeman Hawkers need help to get to Nationals

It is a rare achievement in America for a public high school speech and debate team to qualify nine competitors for the prestigious National Speech and Debate Association High School National Tournament.  This year, nine Bozeman students are going to the national tournament in Dallas and they need your help.

The Bozeman Hawkers invite the public to a fun evening that showcases the talents of these bright competitors in rhetorical pugilism.  Please mark it on your calendar:  The event will be held Friday, April 24, at 7:00 PM in the Emerson Cultural Center’s Weaver Room. Admission is free of charge.

“We’re proud that once again we are sending several Hawkers to a tournament where they will compete with the best in the country,” says Hawker head coach Adam Thane. “The showcase we’re hosting is a rare opportunity for the public to see them in action and we guarantee it will be entertaining.”

The Bozeman Hawkers speech and debate team is known throughout the region and its success over the years has made it one of the most successful extra-curricular programs at the high school. Over the years, its alums have gone on to become a U.S. ambassador to Russia, U.S. Legislators, scholars, heads of major businesses, teachers, doctors, writers and more.

The Hawkers who competed in the 2014-2015 season are also extraordinarily diverse. From soccer goalies to physics prodigies, to ballerinas, they are united by a love for going head to head in the non-physical sport of forensics.

Completing an extremely successful competitive season by winning every regular season tournament and placing second at State, the team traveled to the national qualifier tournament in Missoula.  Nine team members qualified for the National Tournament, including two policy debate teams, Kayleigh Abbott and Cameron Tate, and Anna Atwell and Sean Swinford, Lincoln-Douglas debater Blake Dokken, Public Forum debate team Anna Kaveney and Natalie Wilkinson, and Duo Interpretation team Nate Breigenzer and Bryan Kohler.

The showcase promises to be a special evening, featuring performances from these qualifiers as well as other talented Hawkers. Along with entertainment from the team, the night will include a raffle and silent auction. Raffle tickets are $10 each, and among the prizes are two weekend passes each to Targhee Fest and Blue Grass Fest both at Grand Targhee this summer; a Sonos Play-5 wireless speaker; opera tickets and many other items.  

All proceeds will go toward the Hawkers and their trip to the national tournament. Come Meet the Hawkers and be entertained by a talented and engaged group of students while helping them realize their goals. The event will take place on Friday, April 24, at 7:00 PM at the Emerson Weaver Room, admission is free of charge.