Sumner Academy - Competitive Speech & Debate

Tonight is the night! (and so is tomorrow!)
Our fall play And Then There Were None premieres at 7pm! $5 tickets will be for sale at the door. Doors open at 6:30pm. Please come out and support your Sumner Thespians this weekend!

🎭 Mark your calendars! 🎭

Our talented students are bringing Agatha Christie's classic thriller And Then There Were None to life on stage! Don’t miss this suspense-filled evening of mystery and intrigue as eleven unique characters unravel secrets, face hidden fears, and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Directed by our own dedicated theatre team and performed with all the drama, tension, and excitement you could ask for, this show is not to be missed!

📅 Show Dates: Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16 @ 7pm 🎟️ Tickets: $5 (Cash Only)

📅 FA Sneak Peek - Thursday, November 14 🎟️ Tickets: $2 (Cash Only)

📅 Family Dress Rehearsal - Thursday, November 14 @ 6pm 🎟️ Tickets: Free (Family Members Only)

Join us for a night of suspense, unforgettable performances, and surprises you’ll be talking about long after the final curtain!

Shoutout to our incredible debaters for their performance at Lawrence Free State’s Open Policy Debate Division! 💪
Special congratulations to:
🎤 Kayleeann Milborn & Jonathan Santos
🎤 Gabe Andrade & Yared Alvarado – 3rd Place
🎤 Juan Ontiveros & Anaya Morrow – 6th Place
🏅 Gabe Andrade – 4th Place Open Speaker Award
🙌 Huge thanks to our assistant coach Bennett Addink for his support!

Big congratulations to our 8th graders for representing us at our first MS Debate KC tournament of the year this past Thursday! 🎉
Special shoutouts to:
🎤 Annabelle Brown – Competed in Open Congress
🎤 Alyssa Vang & Oviya Pugazhendhi – Teamed up for Novice Policy Debate
🏅 Oviya Pugazhendhi – 4th Place Novice Policy Debate Speaker Award
Special thanks to our judges and team manager: Sylis Brown, London Starr-Glin, Gabe Andrade, Juan Ontiveros, and Mel Moore!

🎉 Congratulations to our Debate Team! 🎉

This weekend, we had an amazing experience at the Washburn Rural Debate Invitational, where 33 schools competed. We are incredibly proud to announce that two of our very own students earned speaker awards!

🏆 Gabriel Andrade placed 2nd and Kayleeann Milborn placed 5th in the Open Division!

Their hard work and dedication truly paid off, and we couldn’t be more proud of our entire team for their efforts. Great job representing our school with excellence!

Please welcome the new Sumner Academy Head Speech & Debate Teacher/Coach and Theatre Teacher, Mr. Zach Johnson!

Class of 2024, don't forget to claim your NSDA Alumni membership!

Alumni Membership | National Speech & Debate Association Since the National Speech & Debate Association was founded in 1925, we have enrolled more than 1.5 million members in all 50 states. Many of these members have risen to the pinnacle of their respective fields, including Supreme Court justices, media visionaries, Academy Award winners, and more.

Congratulations to London Monroe and the entire Sumner Academy NSDA crew on a GREAT week at NSDA Nationals! London placed 6th in Prose Interpretation and was an octofinalist in POI. Isaac Lainez broke into the quarterfinal round of Prose and London also broke into the quarterfinal round of Poetry. Gabe Andrade ended his feat in Extemp Debate with an impressive 5-2 win/loss record.

A special thank you to our assistant coaches - Jaleon Brown and Carolina Perez-Lozano. Thank you to our judge, Neymara Freeman, and team supporter, Andrew Serrano. Thanks to our team parents, Lachelle Monroe (and dad) and Debbi Lainez for making the trip to Des Moines.

Thank you to Marley Lowe and her wonderful grandmother for hosting us Wednesday evening and for supporting London in the final round!

We truly appreciate everyone's well-wishes, good-lucks, and overall support.

Thanks a million!!!

We have a national finalist! London Monroe is in tomorrow's final round of Prose Interpretation! You can view the livestream of the round via live.speechanddebate.org at noon.

London Monroe is in the semifinal round of Prose Interpretation of Literature!!!

NSDA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT UPDATE: Isaac Lainez made it to octos in Prose. London Monroe has moved on to quarters in both Prose and Poetry.

GO TEAM!

NSDA Nationals Update: Gabe is out after making through round 7 (3 out rounds) of Extemporaneous Debate. Congrats, Gabe!

Isaac broke to Octos in Prose and London broke to Octos in Prose and Poetry. The rest of the team is watching final rounds. Assistant coach, Jaleon is judging her 1st national final round - Informative Speaking.

GO TEAM!!!