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Located in Plantation, Florida; a beautiful, family-oriented suburb just west of Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami.

Located in Plantation, Florida; a beautiful, family-oriented suburb just west of Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami.

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1st Place Overall at UF Blue Key Speech & Debate Tournament

1st Place Overall at UF Blue Key Speech & Debate Tournament

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The American Heritage Schools Speech and Debate team earned a top spot at the prestigious Blue Key Tournament hosted by the University of Florida. Competing against some of the best programs in the country, Heritage secured FIRST PLACE IN THE OVERALL TEAM SWEEPSTAKES, proving the strength of the program across all categories.

Dominating the Round Robin and Preliminary Rounds

The weekend began early with a select group of students invited to the exclusive Round Robin portion of the event. Senior Zayn Charania set a high bar for the team by winning the Lincoln Douglas Debate Round Robin. Additionally, sophomore Archith Venkat earned 12th place in Congressional Debate, giving the team a strong lead before the full squad even arrived in Gainesville.

Once the entire team gathered, students spent hours practicing speeches and refining debate cases alongside their coaches. This collective effort led to students reaching elimination rounds in nearly every event on the schedule.

Top Individual and Team Results

After three days of intense competition, the final results confirmed a dominant performance for the school. Sophomore Gabriella Otero took home first place in Program Oral Interpretation. The team also secured multiple second-place finishes, including Izyk Pombar in Humorous Interpretation, Lindsay Brasner in Informative Speaking, and Zayn Charania in Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate.

Junior Sofia Barrera also earned second place in Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate, while freshman Samay Arora was recognized as the Top Speaker in the novice category.

Looking Ahead to National Competition

While the awards are a point of pride, the tournament also served as an important training ground. Sophomore Carolina Pineda noted that the practice received while debating complex arguments has her feeling better prepared for the next national stage.

The comprehensive list of winners includes semifinalists and finalists in Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Impromptu Speaking, and Original Oratory, confirming a successful start to the 2025-2026 season.

Program Oral Interpretation

  • Sophomore Gabriella Otero – 1st

Humorous Interpretation

  • Junior Izyk Pombar – 2nd

Dramatic Interpretation:

  • Freshman Madeline Zhuravel – Semifinalist

Duo Interpretation:

  • Freshmen Siyona Nayana and Inica Kaushal – 4th 

Impromptu Speaking

  • Sophomore Tanush Sajja – Semifinalist
  • Sophomore Halle Bank – Semifinalist
  • Junior Shreyas Baghel – Quarterfinalist
  • Junior Aanya Jain – Quarterfinalist

Informative Speaking

  • Senior Lindsay Brasner – 2nd
  • Sophomore Halle Bank – Semifinalist
  • Sophomore Tanush Sajja – Quarterfinalist
  • Freshman Siyona Narang – Quarterfinalist

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate

  • Junior Sofia Barrera – 2nd
  • Freshman Samay Arora – Quarterfinalist and Top Speaker

Original Oratory

  • Sophomore Tidyan Baazi Pujol – Semifinalist
  • Sophomore Tanush Sajja – Quarterfinalist
  • Freshman Inica Kaushal – Quarterfinalist
  • Freshman Madeline Zhuravel – Quarterfinalist

Congressional Debate

  • Sophomore Archith Venkat – Semifinalist
  • Sophomore Ian Chen – Semifinalist

Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate

  • Senior Zayn Charania – 2nd and 5th Speaker
  • Junior Justin Xia – Semifinalist and Top Speaker
  • Sophomore Cristina Alvarez – Quarterfinalist
  • Sophomore Conan Matos – Octofinalist
  • Junior Emanuel Sasson – Double-Octafinalist
  • Junior Juley Guan – Double-Octafinalist