About ND Speech & Debate

The Notre Dame Speech and Debate Team (formerly known as Forensics) has a long-standing tradition of excellence in competitive public speaking and debate.  Students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills as well as representing our school at several tournaments throughout the school year.

Meetings will be Tuesday nights at 6:30pm-8:30pm in Rooms 101-102.  Contact Mr. Rizzo for Details.

Coach & Staff:

  • Mr. Sal Rizzo, Head Coach
  • Mr. Stuart Kramer, Assistant Coach
  • Mr. Matias Demichelis, Assistant Coach And Crusader Time Coach
  • Mr. Beck Dolphin, Assistant Coach and Crusader Time Coach

Student Officers

President: Joanna Pouobon

Vice-President: Alivia Rieland

Class Representatives:

Junior: Regan Dittmar

Sophomore: Nicholas Agures

Freshman: Kaylee Tsakou

Parent Board

Mrs. Elizabeth Rieland, Chairperson

About Coach Sal Rizzo

Coach Rizzo has been involved with the Notre Dame Speech and Debate program (fka Forensics) for 46 years. Under the tutelage of the late Mrs. Eleanor Wise, he competed as a junior and a senior. He volunteered for the program for 14 years and has been the coach for the better part of 30 years. He has coached several state and national award winners including the 2005 National Right to Life Oratory Contest National Champion, the 2014 National Speech and Debate Association Congressional Debate House National Champion and thirteen state champions. Also one of his students was selected to be part of Team USA in World Schools Debate. Our team has won several sweepstakes awards including a Debate Schools of Honor award from the National Speech and Debate Association and three Diocesan Cumulative Sweepstakes awards.  He currently serves as a member of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League District 8 Tournament Committee and has promoted speech and debate in several public appearances including two appearances on the Dare to Care radio program out of Marion, Illinois. He also had the privilege to serve on the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament Committee.  He had the opportunity to introduce two new members of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League Hall of Fame in 2023.  He served as the PA Mideast Regional Coordinator for the National Right to Life Oratory Contest, from 1993-2014 through the support of Pennsylvanians for Human Life, Bethlehem/Easton Chapter of which he had been president from 2004 to 2025.

Calling All Parents – interested in becoming a judge?  Watch this training video and contact any of Coach & Staff.

The following students have won awards at tournaments this year:

Nicholas Agures: Forensic University Fall Classic

Anthony Brazzo: Forensic University Fall Classic

Natalie Hamameh: Phillipsburg

Conner Holcombe: Forensic University Fall Classic, ADFL at Moravian Academy

Jasmine Laporte: Forensic University Fall Classic

Piper Lerch: Forensic University Fall Classic

Lydia Moretti (Junior Crusader): Ridge Invitational

Joanna Pouoban: Forensic University Fall Classic, ADFL at Notre Dame, Ridge Invitational. ADFL at Moravian Academy, Auto Qualifier- for States

Alivia Rieland: Forensic University Fall Classic, ADFL at Notre Dame, ADFL at Moravian Academy

Isabella Rivera: Forensic University Fall Classic, Ridge Invitational

Eli Spencer: LaSalle College HS Forum

Lily Swauger: Phillipsburg, Forensic University Fall Classic, ADFL at Notre Dame

Kaylee Tsakou: Forensic University Fall Classic

Pennsylvania High School Speech League Results

District Tournament

State Qualifiers (District placement):

Lexie Gallagher: Informative Speaking (2nd Place)

Conner Holcombe: Duo Interpretation (2nd Place)

Joanna Pouoban: Senate (Auto Qualifier)

Alivia Rieland: Duo Interpretation (2nd Place)

Isabella Rivera: Informative Speaking (1st Place)

Eli Spencer: Commentary (1st Place)

Lily Swauger: Prose (2nd place)

Kaylee Tsakou: Prose (1st Place)

State Alternate

Regan Dittmar: Poetry (3rd Place)

State Tournament Results

Joanna Pouoban: Senate: 5th Place

Eli Spencer: Commentary: 5th Place

Lily Swauger: Prose: 6th Place

Kaylee Tsakou Prose: Semifinalist

Allentown Diocesan Forensics League National Qualifier

Duo Interpretation: 2nd Place: Conner Holcombe and Alivia Rieland

Extemporaneous Speaking: 3rd Place: Eli Spencer

NSDA Degree Winners

Nicholas Agures: Degree of Distinction

Yulian Badia: Degree of Merit

Anthony Brazzo: Degree of Merit

Regan Dittmar: Degree of Honor

Natalie Hamameh: Degree of Merit

Michaela Henderson: Degree of Honor

Conner Holcombe: Degree of Distinction

Jasmine Laporte: Degree of Merit

Jessica Laporte: Degree of Merit

Piper Lerch: Degree of Merit

Joanna Pouoban: Degree of Special Distinction

Isabella Rivera: Degree of Honor

Mae Saldana: Degree of Honor

Lily Swauger: Degree of Honor

Kaylee Tsakou: Degree of Honor

2005 National Champion

Fr. Stephan Isaac’s Career Highlights

  • 2005 National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest National Winner (see Fr. Stephan’s Championship Speech in Resources section)
  • NSDA Degree of Outstanding Distinction
  • Four-time NCFL National Qualifier: 2003: Original Oratory; 2004: Student Congress Semifinalist; 2005: Student Congress Semifinalist; 2006: Student Congress Finalist
  • Two-time PHSSL State Award winner: 2004: Student Congress, 3rd Place;  2006: Student Congress 3rd Place

Read Testimony

2014 National Champion

Abby Marone’s Career Highlights

  • 2014 NSDA Congressional Debate House National Champion
  • Member of 2014-2015 Team USA World Schools Debate
  • Earned NSDA Degree of Premier Distinction
  • Nine total National Tournament appearances (all in Congressional Debate/Student Congress):
    2012: NCFL, Semifinalist
    2013: Tournament of Champions, Semifinalist; NCFL, Semifinalist; NSDA, Semifinalist
    2013: PHSSL State Champion Student Congress Senate
    2014: Tournament of Champions, 5th place; NCFL, 4th place; NSDA, 1st place
    2015: Tournament of Champions, 5th place;  NSDA, 4th place

Read Testimony

Award Winners

NSDA Wall of Distinction

State and National Award Winners

2014 NSDA Awards Ceremony: House

 

2014 NSDA Awards Ceremony: Debate Schools of Honor

Why Join Speech and Debate?

Top 10 Reasons to Join

Cameron Sauers Testimony

Tinabeth Pina Testimony

2025-2026 Speech and Debate Tournament Schedule

NOTE: Tournaments marked as individual participation are national events that the team does not attend, but students can. And tournament dates and locations may be subject to change.

SPEECH & DEBATE TOURNAMENT FORM

9/19-21 Yale Invitational – individual participation

10/17-19 New York City Invitational Debate and Speech Tournament – individual participation

10/25 Phillipsburg Invitational
11/1 TBA (ADFL)*

11/5-9 Forensics University Fall Classic (Asynchronous Online)
11/22-11/23 Villiger Tournament at St. Joseph’s University
12/5-12/7: George Mason – individual participation
12/13: LaSalle College HS
12/20: ADFL We Host
1/10: ADFL at Hunterdon Central HS*
1/24: Ridge HS
1/30-31: Pennsbury HS (debate can go to 2/1) individual participation
2/7: TBA (ADFL)*
2/21: District 8 State Qualifier Either Holy Redeemer or We Host (PHSSL)*
2/22: NSDA Congress National Qualifier at TBA*
3/7: ADFL National Qualifier at Northampton Community College Fowler Center*

3/4-8 Forensics University Spring Classic (Asynchronous Online)
3/14-15: NSDA Speech and Debate National Qualifier at TBA*
3/21-22: PHSSL State Tournament at Bloomsburg University*
4/4: NSDA Big Questions National Qualifier at TBA*
April TBA:  Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Video Oratory Contest Deadline (see Mr. Rizzo for details)
April TBA: Tournament Of Champions at University of Kentucky – speech and debate invitational individual participation
4/25: Southern Lehigh HS Spartan Invitational
TBA: National Individual Events Tournament Of Champions at TBA– speech invitational individual participation
5/22-25: NCFL Grand Nationals in Washington, DC
6/14-19: NSDA Nationals in Richmond, VA

TBA: National Finals Pro-Life Oratory Contest at the National Right to Life Convention in TBA.

*denotes league tournament
ADFL = Allentown Diocesan Forensics League, NCFL = National Catholic Forensic League, NSDA = National Speech & Debate Assn, PHSSL = PA High School Speech League,

SCFL = Scranton Catholic Forensics League

Want to read more about Speech and Debate? Check out Rostrum Magazine from the National Speech and Debate Association.

Additional Links

Congratulations to Joanna Pouoban, Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Champion in Student Congress House