Daily Sitka Sentinel

Mt. Edgecumbe Scores Well at State DDF Meet

By Sentinel Staff
    Mt. Edgecumbe High School captured second in the overall “sweepstakes” category for Division II, and broke into finals on seven events at the state drama, debate, forensics tournament in Juneau last weekend.
    “We are very proud of our accomplishments,” Mt. Edgecumbe Braves coach Marcia Drake said.
    “This tournament was excellent in its planning by the Thunder Mountain DDF coaches and seamless in its execution by tournament director, Stacey Wayne,” Drake said in her written report on the meet. “Not since Sitka High hosted the State DDF Tournament has State had such a welcoming and generous atmosphere.”
    She said her team competed well, with seven pieces making finals.
    Esther Burdick - Lincoln Douglas Debate - 1st
    Esther Burdick, Fiona Raasch (Sitka) and Wynn Piltz (Anchorage) - Readers Theater - 6th
    Fiona Raasch & Brianna Reyes (Anchorage) - Duo Interp - 6th
    Wilson Kimber (Sitka) - Domestic Extemp - 6th
    Ethan Merculieff (Anchorage) - Pantomime - 6th
    Stephanie Eakin (Kotzebue) - Pantomime - 4th, and Humorous Interp 4th
    “Our big victory was Esther Burdick’s (Sitka) first place finish in Lincoln Douglas Debate,” Drake said. “LD is not a debate style in which the Southeast teams compete, so Esther had to study the Lincoln Douglas debate style on her own, determine how to format an LD plan, and practice using telephone conferencing and in-house coaching.”

Mt. Edgecumbe High School drama, debate and forensics state team members hold up their plaque as Division II
Sweepstakes State Runner-Up. From left are: front row, Fiona Raasch, Esther Burdick, Brianna Reyes, Jadeliah
Dahl; middle row, Rachel Piltz, Isabel Jones, Marissa Crabtree, Stephanie Eakin; and back row, Ethan Merculieff,
Jesse Hanson, Wilson Kimber and Julia Johnson. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)

    The coach reported Burdick was “a nervous wreck” as the tournament started. “However, she was laser-focused and improved with every debate. Credit goes to Esther and her debate coach, Calvin Drake, who were thoughtful in their research and planning. I told Esther that she grew up talking and thinking. Her unique ability to speak clearly and think at a higher moral and analytical level were evident throughout the weekend. The big moment of the tournament for MEHS was when Esther Burdick was called as Lincoln Douglas Debate Champion.”
    Jesse Hanson and Wilson Kimber made the octafinals in Public Forum Debate.
    “Jesse spent the weekend competing with a bad case of the crud, so he was not performing at his peak,” Coach Drake said. “That the team made octafinals really speaks to their preparation and ability to work together. It also says what a strong debater Wilson is.”