Graduating senior Celisia Stanton from Robbinsdale Cooper High School proved she’s no one to be trifled with when it comes to words. In the recent National Forensic League (NFL) National Speech and Debate Tournament, Stanton took home third place honors in the nation in the Lincoln-Douglas debate. This finish bests Cooper’s previous two trips to the national tournament, where they took 8th and 13th. Stanton will receive a scholarship from Lincoln Financial Group, a primary sponsor of the national tournament, for her outstanding finish.
In addition, the Robbinsdale Cooper Debate Team was awarded a Debate School of Honor Award in this national tournament, which is the largest academic competition in the world. “The accomplishments at the National Tournament are a testament to the hard work throughout the entire year by everyone on the team,” stated Coach DJ Brynteson. “I could not be more proud of the work everyone did, in particular of Celisia and Claire, our two seniors who joined us at the national tournament.”
The National Forensic League, created in 1925, is the national honor society for secondary and middle school speech and debate, and has a membership of over 120,000 students, 3,500 coaches and 1.4 million alumni. The National Tournament was begun in 1931.
