We are thrilled to announce that Berkner is sending 11 entries to the UIL Regional Tournament!
Berkner served as the host site for the UIL District Tournament. Our students showcased the incredible growth of our academic and speech programs. In just one year, our Speech & Debate entries nearly doubled, jumping from 8 to the maximum allowed 15, while our Academics team grew from zero to 24 competitors!
The Road to Regionals The following students will represent Berkner at Walnut Grove High School on April 24th–25th:
🎠Speech & Debate
- Poetry Interpretation: Rida Dar (11th) — 1st Place & District Champion (2nd year in a row!)
- Informative Speaking: Lola Martone (10th) — 1st Place & District Champion (2nd year in a row!); Lillian Aldiwan (9th) — 2nd Place; Owen Trammell (9th) — 3rd Place
- Persuasive Speaking: Nadia Aziz (9th) — 1st Place & District Champion; Jefferson Tran (10th) — 3rd Place
- Prose Interpretation: Kerod Alemu (9th) — 2nd Place; Lola Martone (10th) — 3rd Place
đź“° Academics
- Copy Editing: Ana Rodriguez (10th) — 2nd Place; Elizabeth Lui (10th) — 3rd Place
- News Writing: Alyssa Schleigh (10th) — 3rd Place
We also want to celebrate our First Alternates (4th place finishers): Maya Arredondo (Poetry), Karam Daseh (Lincoln Douglas Debate), Mesie Rada (Headline Writing), and Kerod Alemu (Editorial Writing).
As a team, Berkner finished 4th in Overall Sweepstakes—missing 3rd by a single point—and proudly claimed the title of Top Overall Speech & Debate Team for the second year in a row! Congratulations to all our hard-working Rams!
