Frenship High School’s Braedon Kennedy, Drasti Patel, and Lula Biondi traveled to Austin last week where they competed in the UIL State Congress Competition at the Texas State Capitol.  

Speech and Debate Coaches Rebekka Berryhill and Heather Byars are very pleased with how the students competed and is looking forward to future competitions.  

“While we did not advance to the final round of competition at UIL State Congress, we are so incredibly proud of how hard our students worked,” said Byars. “This was a new event for all of them, and while we are sad that Braedon Kennedy and Drasti Patel are seniors, we are excited to see what Lula Biondi is going to be able to do with more practice and experience next year.” 

At the state competition, students had to complete research in affirmation and negations for 20 pieces of legislation.    

“6A UIL State Congress is one of the hardest competitions, and our students went in confidently and made Frenship proud,” said Byars.  

Frenship Speech and Debate continues to build a reputation for excellence, with students demonstrating strong skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and persuasive argumentation. 

“We still have a lot of competition ahead of us in UIL as well as with the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) and the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) state and district competitions. So, it is back to work and practice for us, so that we can continue to show what Frenship Speech and Debate can do,” said Byars. 

With a commitment to preparation and teamwork, the Speech and Debate team is ready to tackle upcoming competitions this season.  

Great work, Tigers!