Wet and Wild Weekend/Warren Results

The PHS Speech and Debate Team braved the storms and the alarm clock to compete at The Earl Warren Speech Tournament in San Antonio. A special shout out to our driver because the rain pelted us most of the way on Interstate 35 and through San Antonio on our return home.

Sophomore Joseph Garza, Joel Arndt, and Junior Yanelle Licona all advanced to finals in Congressional Debate with Joseph placing 1st and Yanelle 5th. Yanelle picked up 2 TFA State Points and Joseph getting 8.

Joseph and Yanelle also reached finals in International Extemporaneous Speaking. Joseph placed 2nd, but still qualified for The State Meet. Yanelle placed 7th and received another state point.

Senior Ashton Rios placed 4th in Program Interpretation and earned 2 state points.

Junior Calanee O’Dell placed 4th in Informative Speaking and received 2 more state points in the event.

Sophomore Audrey Higley had a very strong showing in Prose Interpretation placing 3rd.

Joseph also advanced to semi-finals in Original Oratory.

Many students just missed making semi-finals so we were very close to breaking more kids to the out rounds.

As far as qualifications for TFA State go, Joseph needs only 1 more point in Congress to double qualify. Coltrane Drexler needs 6 more points in both Lincoln-Douglas Debate and United States Extemporaneous Speaking. Calanee O’Dell is 8 short in Informative Speaking and Kennedy Edmonds, Audrey Higley, Calanee, Diana Allison, Yanelle Licona, and Ashton Rios all need 10 more points to make the trip to state.

We will continue to improve as we travel to Anderson High School this weekend. The suburban will leave with the debaters at 2:00PM Friday afternoon. The bus will depart at 6:30AM on Saturday. If parents want to pick students up Saturday evening, please send a note with them that day.

La Vernia/Grapevine results and Warren Tournament

September 8th will be a day I will remember for a long,long time. The Panther Speech and Debate Team competed in two locations with similar results. Joseph Garza competed at The Grapevine Tournament Friday and Saturday and placed 5th in Congressional Debate. He received one bid of the two required to compete at the National Meet later in the year. Joseph also secured 3 TFA State Points to go with his 4 points in International Extemp from Hendrickson last week.

Twelve members of the team went to La Vernia and truly made my day special. Coltrane Drexler placed 4th in United States Extemporaneous Speaking out of 78 competitors and earned 6 TFA State Points. He was not through, though, because he received another 6 points after advancing to semi-finals with a 5-1 record in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Coltrane also finished 3rd out of 61 debaters as the Outstanding Speaker in LD.

Not to be outdone, Calanee O’Dell and Diana Allison placed 4th in Duo Interpretation and earned 2 TFA State Points.

We were not through for the day as Kennedy Edmonds and Audrey Higley advanced to semi-finals in United States Extemporaneous Speaking and garnered 2 TFA State Points as well.

The day was complete when Yanelle Licona advanced to semi-finals in International Extemporaneous Speaking and earned 1 TFA State Point.

So to summarize the day, 13 Panthers competed and 7 came away with TFA State Points!!!

September 8, 2018 will always be a special day for me.

The Earl Warren Speech Tournament will be this Saturday, September 15th in San Antonio. The bus will depart PHS at 5:30AM with the return time around 11:30PM if the students perform as I expect. Please stay hydrated and rested during the week and stay well. Healthy eating and rest are crucial to keeping immune systems working.

Finally, while I am writing this, the San Gabriel River is flowing rapidly outside my patio with much debris floating in the stream. Flood watches are all around us tonight and will be in effect early Monday morning. Please take a moment to think and pray for those who will be affected across the state and region. Also pray for my wife, Laura, as she goes back to Snyder for two weeks. It looks like I will be eating out in the evenings, however, I will make a concerted effort to choose healthy foods.

Have a great week!

RGH

Hendrickson Results & LaVernia

The tournament season has officially begun with a couple of students already securing TFA State Points. Junior Calanee O’Dell placed 4th in Informative Speaking and earned 2 state points. Sophomore Joseph Garza placed 3rd in International Extemporaneous Speaking and totaled 4 state points. Calanee also placed 7th in Poetry Interpretation.

Students advancing to semi-finals were:
Coltrane Drexler in United States Extemporaneous Speaking
Yanelle Licona in United States Extemporaneous Speaking
Audrey Higley in Prose Interpretation

Other students gained valuable experience at Hendrickson so the weekend was a total success.

We will be attending the LaVernia tournament this Saturday and will be leaving PHS at 5:15am. Please be a little early so the bus can leave on time. The schedule has debate finals at 8:00pm so it should be 11:30 at the latest when we return to PHS.

Judges are needed for all of the upcoming tournaments. Students were given an information sheet asking for parent judges. If parents do not want to judge, I am asking for $ 75.00 per semester. This fee will offset the judging money we send to each school to compete. I would prefer to have the parents judge instead of paying the fee. We are three judges short for LaVernia this week and our judges can ride the bus with us. Please contact me if anyone can help us Saturday.

It is crucial that students stay on top of their classes now that our weekends are full. School is why all of us are here so stay diligent and punctual with assignments.

Enjoy the cooler weather and this fabulous rain.

RGH

We’re Back….

Beginning on Friday, our tournament season gets underway for the 2018-2019 school year. As you can imagine, nerves are on edge, but the excitement is overshadowing the anxiety.

We will have four students competing on Friday evening at Hendrickson. We will leave after school in a suburban at around 4:25 and will compete until around 10:30. I will bring them back to the school at that time.

On Saturday morning, we will leave the school parking lot at 7:00 to begin competing at 7:30. Please have your dress clothes on if you compete in extemp because you will have very little time to change. It is difficult to say when we will be through, but I am anticipating being at HHS until 10:30pm. The bus will bring us all back to PHS after we finish. If you want your parents to pick you up at Hendrickson, please get a note from them and get it signed by your principal before the tournament begins.

We need a couple of judges on Saturday to save on fees. If one of your parents can judge this Saturday, please give me their names, cell phone, email, and phone carrier so I can enter them into the judging pool. This is the closest tournament of the year so it will not be such a travel burden.

Next Saturday, we will compete at La Vernia. The bus is scheduled to leave at 5:15AM!!

Here’s to an exciting and successful season.

RGH

New Beginnings

Let me begin by giving you the speech camp news. We were going to have the camp on August 1st as we did last year, but when I asked about it, Ms. Cook, the principal’s secretary told me that even they could not take possession of the campus until the week of August 6th because the custodians were still waxing the floors and cleaning the school. Freshmen orientation is on the 7th and I have a table reserved for us. I think we can meet on the 6th, but I need to check with the administration. I still have hope that we can get in on the 1st, but it does not seem likely. I can’t be at the school on the 8th or 9th because we are moving from our second floor apartment to one on the ground floor. I also report for staff development on the 10th,13th,14th,and 15th. This short summer has ramped everything up in all areas of PfISD.

School begins in less than 3 weeks and I hope you all are rested. Our first tournament will be Lake Travis on August 24-25 and the debate topics don’t come out until August 8th so debaters are going to have to really cram to be ready to compete. This year I will be teaching two English IV classes and while I am really excited about it, I am also apprehensive about the extra grading time I will need. This year we will have a Debate I class, a Debate II, III class, an Oral Interpretation class, and a Public Speaking class. I will also have a Professional Communications class. All classes can be competitive if students choose to travel. Students do not have to attend all of the tournaments, but will be encouraged to do so. All competitors must be prepared to be able to travel and be eligible. We had some issues late in the spring with students being ineligible due to grades. Grades are the most important aspect of school and they must be on the front burner. I hope we travel with 35 students to every tournament all year long, but each must take care of their studies first.

My learning curve is narrowing this year, but I still have much to grasp. Please be patient like you were last year and know that I have your best interests at heart. I have been dealing with many personal issues this summer and school is coming on too fast, but I am ready to get the year started and get into a daily routine. We will still have Monday afternoon practices for all students who are not failing any classes. Again, if students are not making their grades, they do not need to attend after school practices.

In closing, let me welcome our new students to PHS and wish all returning students a great year full of success and joy. Proud to be a Panther.

RGH

End of Season

So very proud of the kids who competed yesterday at Baylor. It is really tough to just finish out of contention for the finals. All three of our kids made a 3 on their ballot with the top two making the final round. I wish we had three judges in the room, but some regional contests don’t use panels in the prelims. I’m still so proud of the effort and good sportsmanship that Devon, Ashton, and Joseph showed. I am also proud of Anny, who was alternate in Poetry, for being the cheerleader. All four are a credit to their parents and ambassadors of PHS. Special thanks to Mr. Robb and Ms. Persons who drove the students to the competition and to Mr. and Ms. Garza who made sure Joseph made it to Waco from Dallas.

The competition phase of the school year has ended, but the building for 2018-2019 is just beginning. The rest of the year in class will be for finding, cutting, and polishing interp pieces, filing articles, and practicing speeches. We are also in the process of planning a banquet during this busy time of the school year. AP testing and STAAR remain on the horizon in the next three weeks and finals are just around the corner. Students need to remain focused on their classes and get caught up with their homework.

Monday afternoon practice will be cancelled for tomorrow the 16th and the 23rd. Tomorrow I have to get to my bank before they close and next week I am spending my birthday having dinner with my son. Any practices after that will depend on how busy the school work gets. I will follow the student’s grades week to week to determine whether we practice or not.

School begins early next year for PFISD as students will start the year on August 16th! With a shorter summer it is imperative that students have their pieces cut and found before the year ends. We are planning on having speech camp on August 1st-3rd and 6th-9th. There will be many new faces and goals to set.

As the year winds down, may all of you rest, revive your energy levels, and always aim for excellence. May God bless you all and bring peace to our world.

UIL Regionals

I am very proud of the team as we competed against our district this past weekend. Panthers advancing to the regional meet at Baylor University on April 13th and 14th are:

Devon Jorgenson who placed first in Prose Interpretation
Ashton Rios who placed second in Poetry Interpretation
Joseph Garza who placed third in Informative Speaking

Other students who placed were:

Anny DeLaCruz who was alternate in Poetry Interpretation
Audrey Higley who placed 6th in Prose Interpretation

The rest of the team that competed were:

Coltrane Drexler in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Persuasive Speaking
Calanee O’Dell in Prose Interpretation and Informative Speaking
Joel Arndt in Informative Speaking and Current Issues and Events
Devon Jorgenson in Persuasive Speaking and Current Issues and Events
Audrey Higley in Persuasive Speaking and Current Issues and Events
Joseph Garza in Current Issues and Events

The practice tomorrow and the next two weeks will be for the regional competitors only as we prepare for a tough regional meet. For all of the students who are finished competing this year, use the next couple of weeks on Monday to get rest and get your school work completed.

Ms. Persons will be procuring hotel rooms for Waco the next couple of days and will be getting an itinerary ready.

May all of you enjoy the weather and each other.

UIL Season

I hope everyone enjoyed their week away from school and are ready to sprint to the finish line for the next twelve weeks.

UIL District is this Friday and Saturday. On Friday, I will take the Prose and Poetry students to Hendrickson to compete. The readers are Devon, Calanee, Audrey, Ash, and Anny. We will leave PHS at 11:15 am and will return by around 4:00 pm.

Saturday’s competition will be at Westwood High School and the bus will depart PHS at 6:45 am. All others besides Prose and Poetry will be competing. My best guess to return is about 7:00 pm.

The top three in each event will compete at Baylor University on April 13th & 14th.

Please keep your grades up and enjoy the warm weather.

Happy New Year

As the new year begins, we head into the final stretch of qualifying for TFA State, UIL District, Region, State, and NSDA Nationals. A couple of freshmen have been busy over the winter break competing in various tournaments. Joseph Garza has competed at McAllen, Sharyland, and Corpus Christi and has qualified for TFA State in Congress and Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking. He won FX at all three tournaments and won Congress at McAllen and Corpus Christi. He is the first student to double qualify and joins Ashton Rios as state qualifiers so far. Coltrane Drexler is competing again and is getting back on track. He advanced to quarterfinals in DX at Churchill High School and semifinals in DX and Impromptu speaking at Magnolia High School.

On January 19-20, we are competing at McNeil High School. As I write this we have 15 students competing. If any parents can judge over the next month, we could use some help. Please let me know if this is possible. We will be very active until spring break with nearly every weekend taken. UIL practice tournaments are also happening along with TFA qualifying tournaments. The students have the times and dates for the next month so there should be no surprises.

This is the time of year for allergies to ramp up and the flu is wreaking havoc across the state. Rest and healthy living are essential to keeping our immunity defenses up so please take care of yourself.

Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day and my wish is for all of us to remember the powerful messages he died to uphold. Use the day to help those who need it and share your time and love to make our community better.

Peace and happiness always be at your side during this new year.

Looking to LaVernia

I trust you all had a restful Thanksgiving break and enjoyed family bonding and great fellowship with your friends. It was a blessing for me to see my wife and friends and take a few days off. Over the break we had some students excel at the Stony Point Tournament. Ashton Rios won both POI and DI and became the first Panther to qualify for TFA State which will be held at LaVernia High School on March 1st-3rd. Calanee O’Dell placed 2nd in POI and Poetry to continue an amazing hot streak over the past few weeks. Joseph Garza was second in Congress and advanced to semis in Foreign Extemp. As we stand today, we have two students within 2 points from qualifying and quite a few who are within striking distance.

We just finished the UT Tournament yesterday and again, Ashton Rios continued to impress by advancing to semis in POI. Audrey Higley had the score to advance, but missed out by only two places in HI. Quite an honor for a freshmen at the largest tournament on our circuit. There were 117 different schools from Texas and 10 other states.

We are now finished with the fall schedule and will not have our Monday practice for the rest of the semester. Let us all take the extra time to focus on our classes and end the fall with a strong emphasis on service to others as our priority. I am excited about my 6th period class and our Adopt A Child day this Friday. I have never heard of this before, but absolutely love the whole concept of it. Making the holiday season special for a child totally rocks my world. I have always believed that Christmas is for children and giving our student her time in a few days is such a great feeling for all of us.

The new semester offers us another chance to reload and recharge our engines to reach individual and team goals. As the TFA tournament season begins to close, the UIL starts. Our NSDA district meet is about two and a half months from today and we are only 9 degrees from last year’s total of 23. As of today, we have 9 students who are less than 15 points away and 5 more less than 28 points! I fully expect to exceed that number from last year before district.

I am expecting to take our full squad to the last few invitational tournaments. Those tournaments are McNeil HS on January 19th & 20th, Hayes HS on February 3rd, and Johnson HS on February 10th. Monday after school practice will resume on January 15th and will continue until the TFA tournament season ends. Those students competing in UIL will then meet after school to work on their specific events. I will be sponsoring not only the UIL speech events, but also Current Issues and Events. All who wish to secure one of the four spots will also practice taking tests on Mondays after school. With a new year approaching, may we all share love and laughter and open our hearts not only to each other, but to all we encounter.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Kwanzaa! Peace and Love!