Lanier wins fifth straight debate title, says farewell to coach
The Chronicle's Jennifer Friedberg reports that the Lanier Middle School debate team has just won its fifth straight national title:
The Lanier Middle School debate team spent three days last week preparing for its biggest competition of the school year — the National Junior Forensics League Tournament in Greeley, Colo.
The work paid off as the squad won the three-day event, which concluded July 1, posting its fifth consecutive national title for Lanier debate coach Jim Henley's last hurrah.
"I'm very proud that 65 students took time out of their summer vacation and worked very hard on a tough academic discipline, prepared and were successful in the competition," Henley said. "We just dominated the debate section of the competition."
Henley calls the tournament "the World Series of middle school debate."
[snip]
The team is comprised of 100 sixth-graders and 100 seventh- and eighth-graders. Henley said the squad is the largest in the country.
It won eight out of nine local and regional tournaments this year.
"They compete against high schools here and most of the time they win," Henley said.
The team has lost only one competition since 2002.
[snip]
Henley has taught at Lanier for 20 years — history for 10 years before starting the debate team and moving into teaching forensics full time.
After their win, the team and 90 Houstonians celebrated at Outback Steakhouse. They said goodbye to Henley and hello to the team's new coach, Frantz Hill from Jane Long Middle School, 6501 Bellaire Blvd.
"His students were sad to lose him and my students were sad to lose me," Henley said. "The transition was seamless and wonderful."
Retiring, Henley said, "is the hardest thing I've ever done."
Congrats to the debate team and to Henley for jobs well done!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/02/07 09:52 PM | Print |
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