On March 3, 2018, the Forensics team came in first place at a tournament at Avondale High School. Niklas Salah (11), Debra Moratis (11), Arin Champati (12), Riya Doshi (11), Anish Tamhaney (12), Lexie Finkelstein (10), Mara Sabin (11), Simona Zhu (12), Habib Bello (12), and Tori Weingarten (12) came in first in their respective events, which include 12 different categories such as Impromptu or Poetry, while many others placed.

“So far, we have had a great season, and we are yet to lose an invitational tournament. Our hopes are to reclaim first place at the state competition as we did in 2016,” said junior Jamie Blatnikoff.

While some students participate in forensics to compete, others have different goals.

“Forensics has given me the opportunity to express myself through poetry. In my opinion, winning is not what’s important. The reason that I continue to do forensics is that it has allowed to me to become confident in who I am. In poetry, I get to share stories and communicate real life issues with students who want to listen and make positive changes for the future,” said Blatnikoff.