Vashon speech and debate team advances
Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 2, 2026
The Vashon Island Speech and Debate team attended the Washington State Championships on Thursday, March 19, Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at the University of Puget Sound. Nearly 600 students from 70 different schools across the state competed in 14 events.
Unlike most Washington Interscholastic Activities events, speech and debate tournaments are not divided by school size, pitting Vashon students against students from mammoth schools like Eastlake and Tahoma, as well as elite private schools like Overlake and Eastside Prep.
Four Vashon students qualified for the state tournament by performing well in several qualifying district tournaments throughout the season. Entry fees were paid through the Appleford Grant issued by Vashon Partners in Education.
Junior Iylaf Al Mustafa qualified in both Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Informative Speaking. Junior Emily Rock also qualified in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, as well as Original Spoken Word Poetry. Junior Hannah Hillis qualified in Dramatic Interpretation and in Duo Interpretation with her acting partner, Carter Harmon, who also qualified in Original Spoken Word Poetry.
Any school with qualified students was also encouraged to register a team in Worlds Schools Debate. This event is fairly new to Washington state, but has had a presence in national and international competition since the 1980s. Hillis and Harmon were joined by sophomore Mateo Villavincencio, sophomore Cash Requa and junior Willa O’Reilley. In their very first round, the team faced last year’s state champions from Newport High School.
Despite the early loss, students felt proud of their performance and persevered over the next two days to salvage a respectable 3-3 record. Hillis was also recognized as one of the top 10 speakers out of nearly 100 competitors in the event. Worlds Debate rounds alternate between prepared and impromptu topics, ranging from the impact of charter schools on public education to the prioritization of regional alliances in the African Union. The entire team enjoyed the event and is planning on competing more regularly next season.
While the Worlds team was trying something new, Al Mustafa and Rock were facing some of the toughest competition they had seen all year in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Arguing a timely resolution about U.S. military intervention, Al Mustafa also finished with a 3-3 record, tying for 12th place overall, while Rock’s record was 2-4.
After two days of debate competition, Al Mustafa, Harmon, Hillis and Rock all returned on Saturday to compete in their speech events. Juniors Al Mustafa and Hillis, who have both already qualified for the National NSDA, formerly NFL, tournament in June, advanced to the final rounds of Informative Speaking and Dramatic Interpretation, respectively. Al Mustafa placed third with an informative speech about the Syrian Revolution. Hillis placed sixth with an interpretation piece using the poetry of Frank Bidart.
They are both hoping to use the feedback from the state tournament to prepare for nationals, where they will be joined by Harmon and Rock, who are competing in supplemental events. Anyone interested in supporting Vashon’s first appearance at nationals in more than 20 years can contribute to a fundraiser on GoFan or contact the high school office and donate directly to the team’s ASB account.
Spirits were high as the team drove away from the tournament toward the ferry for the last time this season. Al Mustafa summed up everyone’s feelings, stating, “Competing in speech and debate, especially on the Vashon team, has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of high school. Every achievement, big or small, is a huge step for the team.”
After a few days of rest, the team will focus on organizing and preparing for the third annual Intra Island Invitational on Saturday, April 18. This tournament allows middle and high school students to have a competition experience without leaving the island.
The invitational offers both traditional public speaking and interpretation events, as well as novelty categories like spontaneous argumentation and storytelling, so there is something for everyone. Novice competitors will have the opportunity to simply get a feel for the activity, while experienced competitors will try out new material for next year. This event is entirely run and judged by volunteers to keep it free for all participants.
Anyone interested in competing or judging at the invitational should email Jenni Wilke at jwilke@vashonsd.org.
Jenni Wilke is the coach of the speech and debate team.
