Junior Rania Daoud and sophomore Olivia Wedig competed in the district debate tournament Feb. 27-March 1 and both qualified for the MSHSAA State Speech/Debate Tournament on April 24-25. They have already begun preparing for the event.

Daoud qualified in the Dramatic Interpretation division.

“It is basically where I act out the topic dramatically,” Daoud said. “My topic was on Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who was shot in the face by the Taliban and stands up for the rights of women.”

Daoud worked on her performance for about a year, and she now can touch up a few things in time for the state tournament.

“There are some things that I might fix, but I am mostly good at this point.”

Wedig qualified in the Lincoln-Douglas division.

“It is a one-on-one type of debate where there is focus on using philosophy,” Wedig said.

The topic for Wedig was a just government ought to ensure food security for their citizens.

“It took about two weeks for me to prepare,” Wedig said. “I plan on working more on it in time for state so that I can make it even better.”

Both girls are excited for the opportunity to debate at the state’s highest level.

“I’m so excited to be able to do this,” Daoud said. “I just can’t wait.”