The official page of the Midtown HS (formerly Grady HS) Speech and Debate Team.
04/22/2026
We had an AMAZING time celebrating our jesters, our families, and most importantly our beloved coach Mr. Mario Herrera. Thank you for the parents and students that make our team’s success possible. We cannot wait for next year and for the legacy of the Midtown Jesters to live on! Thank you seniors, thank you Mario, and as always, Go Jesters!! 👏👏👏
03/14/2026
BIG NEWS!!! Kai and Oliver took 1st and 2nd at Congress Varsity State and Midtown secured 1st overall Congress Sweep Stakes!!!
02/23/2026
We have had an absolute BLAST this season!! Whilst our team loves competing; beyond speech and debate we love new experiences, enjoy fun activities, and taking adventures across Atlanta and beyond! This break was the perfect opportunity to do just that. Here’s what our jesters have been up to!
02/17/2026
Jesting in San Fran😄
02/16/2026
Time for the eats. Happy New Year!
02/16/2026
Jesters in San Francisco. On a cable cart, of course.
02/14/2026
Competition and coffee. YES!
02/14/2026
Friday night memories. So good!
02/13/2026
The Jesters have landed
02/08/2026
JESTERS DO IT AGAIN! 17 GFCA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW! Thanks to Midtown HS and the Midtown HS community for its unwavering support.
02/08/2026
The Jesters are SOOO PROUD of all our competitors this weekend! Speech SWEPT us all away with their hard work and talent. Amazing job to Noah coming in 2nd in Original Oratory. Congrats to Thomas placing 1st in extemp, Kai taking 2nd, Oliver in 4th, Asher in 5th, and George in 6th! Great job Gabriela for getting 3rd in Info! See ya next year Var State! 🙌🌟
Congrats to the Jesters on their first tournament of the season, the Alpharetta High School Treasure Hunt Speech and Debate Tournament. It was a great success! Here is how we fared (photos below):
Original Oratory: Noah Northcutt, 4th Place
Informative Speaking: Gabriela Waldman, 3rd Place
Impromptu Speaking: Ada Bryant, 6th Place; Oliver Floreani, 4th Place; Kai Chen, 3rd Place
Extemporaneous Speaking: Oliver Floreani, 4th Place; Kai Chen, 2nd Place; Thomas Carter, CHAMPION
Varsity Public Forum Debate: Daniel Hyken & Lois Goldman, Quarterfinalists; Henry Moye and Erin Smearman, CHAMPIONS. Speaker Awards: Lois Goldman, 5th Speaker; Henry Moye, 4th Speaker; Daniel Hyken, CHAMPION.
Thanks to our parent volunteers who judged at the tournament: Christine Sweeney, Martin Floreani, Thurston Prince, Debra Smearman and Jeremy Smearman!