What happened: Students from Young Women’s Leadership Academy and Legacy High School competed in the 100th annual National Speech and Debate Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Students from YWLA competed in Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas, while Legacy students competed in Extemporaneous Debate, Extemporaneous Commentary, and Impromptu Speaking.

To qualify for nationals, students had to first advance through the highly competitive district qualifier meets. In Texas, they participated in the Tall Cotton District Meet, where only the top three finishers in each event earned a spot at nationals.