Westglades Middle, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shine at Elite South Florida Speech and Debate Tournament

by Ryan Yousefi October 28, 2025

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Westglades Middle, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shine at Elite South Florida Speech and Debate Tournament 5

Members of the Westglades and MSD Debate team. {Brooke Pappas}

Students from Westglades Middle School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School proudly represented Parkland at the Western Cat Claw Classic Speech and Debate Tournament.

Held at Western High School in Davie on October 25, the event featured more than 350 varsity-level competitors from across South Florida competing in five rounds.

Westglades Speech and Debate Coach Brooke Pappas praised her students’ effort and composure against older, more experienced high school competitors.

“Our students continue to impress me with their poise, preparation, and professionalism,” Pappas told Parkland Talk. “Competing against high schoolers and still reaching final rounds shows just how hard they’ve worked and how bright the future of Westglades Speech and Debate truly is.”

Westglades Middle School, the only middle school in attendance, sent 28 competitors and finished with seven finalists and one first-place champion – Angelique Kramer, who captured first place in Dramatic Interpretation.

Sahithya Gudegowda Muddurajaveera earned second place in Congressional Debate. Other Westglades finalists included Bianca Thakur in Congress, Liam Salame in Impromptu, Ahmed Alkarkoukly in Informative (fifth place), Holden Strubinger in Lincoln Douglas (sixth place), and Angela Abad Gietl in Program Oral Interpretation (third place).

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School also represented Parkland well with 17 competitors, including Ayaan Rajwany, who earned first place in Extemporaneous Speaking and was also a finalist in Impromptu.

Krish Shah placed third in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Lindsay Rosaler placed fourth in both Original Oratory and Impromptu, and Matthew Santos and Scott Miller were finalists in Extemporaneous Speaking and Congressional Debate, respectively.

Pappas tells Parkland Talk she especially wants to highlight the teamwork and connection between MSD speech and debate and WMS speech and debate.

“We have become one team with the same goals. The support and bond between the two teams are really beautiful, and they continue to grow with every tournament. I loved watching my students jump and cheer for the MSD students who finalized.”

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Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiples outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.