Region III Migrant Education Students Earn Top Honors at State Speech and Debate Competition

(Pictured: Spanish debate team members, from left Maribel Rios from Orestimba High School in Newman and Carlos Rangel and Oscar Vergara from Gustine High School, stand together after earning first place at the Migrant Education Speech and Debate Tournament in Monterey).

Sixteen Migrant Education students from Region III advanced to the Migrant Education Program State Speech and Debate Tournament held in Monterey early this month.

The students represented Madera, Merced and Stanislaus counties at the statewide event, which brought together student competitors from multiple regions across California, including Imperial Valley, Los Angeles, Monterey and San Diego, to name a few. This year’s competition centered on the theme of artificial intelligence.

Each Region III competitor placed second or third in their respective categories, with the exception of the Spanish debate team, who placed first in the high school division.

The Spanish debate team included Oscar Vergara and Carlos Rangel, from Gustine High School, as well as Maribel Rios from Orestimba High School in Newman.

Additional Region III results included Kenia de Dios from Central Valley High School, who placed third in English Extemporaneous Speech; Andrew Morales from Gustine High School, who earned third place in English Prepared Speech; and Andrea Lopez Picado from the Atwater Elementary School District who placed second in Spanish Prepared Speech.

The Migrant Education Program State Speech and Debate Tournament began in the Ventura County Office of Education and was adopted by the California Department of Education as a statewide initiative in 2016.