Wildcat Showcase Tournament Results NSDA Induction and Banquet 2026
Wildcat Intensive Summer Camp 2026
July 13 - 17 | 8:45am - 5:00pm
$400*
*per camper
Junior Camp: K - 5th grades
Senior Camp: 6th - 10th grades
The Wildcat Summer Intensive Camp is an immersive day camp on debate and speech learning, with plenty of practice experience, enrolling Rising K through 5th graders for our Junior Camp, from all (17) Elementary Schools that feed into Plano Senior, and enrolling 6th through 10th graders for our Senior Camp from the Middle and High Schools that feed into Plano Senior. Students from outside of our feeder schools are also able to join us.
Students will collaborate with peers who challenge them academically, and make them become better students, debaters, and citizens. Whether experienced or building foundational skills, our camps are designed to take your student to the next level.
Labs will be run exclusively by nationally recognized adult instructors, with the Junior camp led by Plano Senior Speech and Debate Coach Naomi Bell, a Diamond Coach, and the Senior camp directed by Coach Cheryl Potts, a National Speech and Debate Hall of Famer.
Camp will be July 13-17 at Clark High School in Plano, Texas at 523 Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, TX 75023, from 8:45am to 5:00pm.
Click the button for more information and to enroll for the K - 5th grade Junior camp.
Click the button for more information and to enroll for the 6th - 10th grade Senior camp.
Find your voice and sharpen your mind. Join us this summer where the next generation of bold thinkers and persuasive thinkers are made.
NSDA Induction Ceremony and Banquet
We invite you to celebrate as we induct the newest members into the National Speech and Debate Association for 2026, followed by a banquet.
Please commemorate our team members' hard work and accomplishments throughout the year.
You will not want to miss this event to share in what your child has accomplished this year.
April 30th | 6:15pm - 9:30 promptly
$45 + tip
Little Maggiano's
6001 W Park Blvd, Plano TX 75093
Click the button for more information and to enroll for the 6th - 10th grade Senior camp.
2026 Speech and Debate Wildcat Showcase
Join us for a night to remember!
Our students will present, debate, and perform in their respective formats.
They will highlight skills in research, public speaking and critical thinking.
We will see our students in events such as Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas debate, Poetry, Prose, and Original Oratory.
Food and beverage will be provided with admission.
April 21 | 6:30 - 8:15pm
At the door: $15
Location: Plano Senior HS Lecture Hall
Click the button to purchase tickets for the Speech and Debate Wildcat Showcase.
"Where Our Voice Matters"
Tournament Results
March 28-30 | uil districts
This Monday, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at Region 6, District 6’s tournament to qualify for the next round of UIL competition. Huge congratulations to our competitors for adapting to unfamiliar styles of speech and debate and their amazing performances, earning us THIRD PLACE district sweepstakes. Go Wildcats!
Informative Speaking
- Zidan Kutub: 4th place (Alternate)
Persuasive Speaking
- Riya Chhaya: 1st place (Qualified to Regionals)
- Lawson Leblanc: 5th place (Alternate)
Poetry
- Nishka Kerkar: 5th place (Alternate)
Prose
- Ayesha Baishya: 2nd place (Qualified to Regionals)
- Dawson Porter: 4th place (Alternate)
Feb 20-21 | nsda districts
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at Lone Star Districts to earn a spot in this summer’s National Speech and Debate Tournament. Huge congratulations to our Wildcats for earning FIRST PLACE SWEEPSTAKES and four individual Championships!
Congressional House
- Zidan Kutub - 2nd place, QUALIFIED
- Lawson Leblanc - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Congressional Senate
- Dhruv Arun - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Dramatic Interpretation
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - ALTERNATE
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Dawson Porter - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein - 2nd place, QUALIFIED
- Annie Chen - 3rd place, QUALIFIED
- Manasvi Geeni - 5th place, QUALIFIED
International Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Dhruv Arun - 3rd place, QUALIFIED
- Zidan Kutub - 4th place, ALTERNATE
Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Matthew Taylor - 6th place, ALTERNATE
Program Oral Interpretation
- Matthew Taylor - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Ayesha Baishya - 4th place, ALTERNATE
- Dawson Porter - 5th place, ALTERNATE
US Extemp
- Manav Patel - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Feb 20-21 | nsda district
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at Lone Star Districts to earn a spot in this summer’s National Speech and Debate Tournament. Huge congratulations to our Wildcats for earning FIRST PLACE SWEEPSTAKES and four individual Championships!
Congressional House
- Zidan Kutub - 2nd place, QUALIFIED
- Lawson Leblanc - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Congressional Senate
- Dhruv Arun - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Dramatic Interpretation
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - ALTERNATE
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Dawson Porter - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein - 2nd place, QUALIFIED
- Annie Chen - 3rd place, QUALIFIED
- Manasvi Geeni - 5th place, QUALIFIED
International Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Dhruv Arun - 3rd place, QUALIFIED
- Zidan Kutub - 4th place, ALTERNATE
Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Matthew Taylor - 6th place, ALTERNATE
Program Oral Interpretation
- Matthew Taylor - 1st place, QUALIFIED + CHAMP
- Ayesha Baishya - 4th place, ALTERNATE
- Dawson Porter - 5th place, ALTERNATE
US Extemp
- Manav Patel - 5th place, ALTERNATE
Feb 12-14 | harvard
This week, several of our Plano competitors flew to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to compete in one of the largest tournaments nationwide! We are so proud of them for showing up and showing out. Can I get a P-TOWN!!
Congressional Debate
- Lawson Leblanc - Quarterfinalist
- Dhruv Arun - Quarterfinalist
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - Octofinalist
Feb 6-7 | jasper
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at our last local of the season. Huge congratulations to several of our competitors for earning their TFA qualifications, and we can’t wait for the post-season!
Congress
- Lawson LeBlanc - 6th Place + Bid!
- Dhruv Arun - 8th Place + Bid!
- Lindsey Zhao - Semis
- Kofi Boateng - Semis
- Zidan Kutub - Semis
- Riddhesh Kapadia - Semis
Dramatic Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 3rd place
Domestic Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 2nd place + Bid!
Humorous Interpretation
- Dawson Porter - 5th place
Informative Speaking
- Manasvi Geeni - Semis
- Annie Chen - Semis
International Extemp
- Dhruv Arun - 6th place + Bid!
Program Oral Interpretation
- Matthew Taylor - 5th place
Prose
- Dawson Porter - 3rd place
Public Forum
- Sandhya & Gargi - Semis + TOC Qual!
jan 30-31 | flower mound
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the 2026 Flower Mound Swing Tournament. We are so proud of our wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work! Here were the results from both sides of the tournament:
FM9 Congressional Debate
- Kofi Boateng - 7th place
FM9 Extemporaneous Speaking
- Kofi Boateng - Semifinalist
FM9 Dramatic Interpretation
- Chrishael Infante - 6th place
FM9 Humorous Interpretation
- Dawson Porter - 3rd place
FM9 Informative Speaking
- Manasvi Geeni - 5th place
FM9 Original Oratory
- Matthew Taylor - 1st place
FM9 Program Oral Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - Semifinalist
FM Original Oratory
- Matthew Taylor - Semifinalist
FM Dramatic Interpretation
- Chrishael Infante - Semifinalist
FM Humorous Interpretation
- Dawson Porter - 3rd place
FM Informative Speaking
- Manasvi Geeni - Semifinalist
FM Program Oral Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - Semifinalist
Jan 23-25| Barkley forum (emory)
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the 2026 Barkley Forum Tournament hosted by Emory University. Congratulations to all of our students for representing Plano Senior with wildcat pride!
Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lindsey Zhao - Semifinalist
Congressional Debate
- Lawson Leblanc - Semifinalist
- Dhruv Arun - Quarterfinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 3rd place
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 3rd place
Public Forum Debate
- Gargi Garg & Sandhya Shankar - 1st Tutorial Elims
jan 16-17 | Plano east tfa tournament
This past weekend the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Plan East TFA Tournament. Huge congratulations to our Wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work this weekend!
Congressional Debate
- Sanjit Konda - Semifinalist
- Branden Giancola - Semifinalist
- Terry Tomlinson - Semifinalist
- Kofi Boateng - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Chrishael Infante - Semifinalist
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - Semifinalist
DEC 12-13 | Centennial Titan
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Centennial Titan TFA Tournament. We are so proud of our Wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work!
Congressional Debate
- Riddhesh Kapadia - 5th place
- Branden Giancola - 10th place
Dramatic Interpretation
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 2nd place
- Chrishael Infante - 5th place
Humorous Interpretation
- Dawson Porter - 4th place
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 5th place
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Jairkishna Annapareddy - Quarterfinalist
Original Oratory
- Shriya Mohan - 6th place
- Matthew Taylor - Semifinalist
Program Oral Interpretation
- Matthew Taylor - 2nd place
Prose
- Matthew Taylor - 1st place
Dec 5-7 | Longhorn Classic (UT)
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Longhorn Classic tournament held at the University of Texas in Austin, where we had several competitors advance to semifinal and final rounds. Huge congratulations to our wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work this weekend!
Congressional Debate
- Lawson Leblanc - 10th place
- Dhruv Arun - Semifinalist
- Zidan Kutub - Semifinalist
Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lindsey Zhao - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - Quarterfinalist
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein – Quarterfinalist
International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lindsey Zhao - Quarterfinalist
Original Oratory
- Matthew Taylor - Semifinalist
- Farrah Zein - Quarterfinalist
Program Oral Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - Semifinalist
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 5th place
Public Forum Debate
- Gargi Garg & Sandhya Shankar - Doubles
nov 23-25 | glenbrooks
The weekend of Thanksgiving Break, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament. We are so proud of our wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work!
Congressional Debate
- Lawson Leblanc - 10th place
- Dhruv Arun - Semifinalist
Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lindsey Zhao - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 5th place
- Nishka Kerkar - Quarterfinalist
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 6th place
Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein - Semifinalist
nov 14-15 | Canyon /Tascosa tfa/nietoc swing
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team traveled to Amarillo to compete at the Canyon Tascosa Swing, where we won top three speech sweepstakes on both sides of the tournament. We want to congratulate our Wildcat team for competing and representing Plano Senior as a cohesive unit!
Here were the results from both sides of the tournament:
Canyon Congressional Debate
- Sanjit Konda - 2nd place
- Riddhesh Kapadia - 3rd place
- Zidan Kutub - 4th place
- Dhruv Arun - 5th place
- Lawson Leblanc - 6th place
- Shriya Mohan - 8th place
- Kofi Boateng - 10th place
Canyon Dramatic Interpretation
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 2nd place
- Chrishael Infante - 6th
Canyon Duo Improvision
- Balaji & Kerkar - 3rd place
- Porter & Taylor - 4th place
Canyon Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 1st place
- Dawson Porter - 5th place
Canyon Informative Speaking
- Annie Chen – 1st place
- Manasvi Geeni - 2nd place
- Farrah Zein - 5th place
Canyon International Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 2nd place
- Zidan Kutub - 4th place
Canyon Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein - 1st place
- Annie Chen - 2nd place
- Alejandro Calle - Semifinalist
Canyon Program Oral Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 3rd place
- Nishka Kerkar - 4th place
Canyon Prose
- Matthew Taylor - 3rd place
Tascosa Congressional Debate
- Lindsey Zhao - 1st place
- Zidan Kutub - 2nd place
- Dhruv Arun - 3rd place
- Riddhesh Kapadia - 5th place
- Sanjit Konda - 8th place
- Shriya Mohan - 11th place
Tascosa Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
- AJ Calle - 1st place
- Lawson Leblanc - 2nd place
Tascosa Dramatic Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - 2nd place
- Ayesha Baishya - 4th place
- Chrishael Infante - 5th place
Tascosa Duo Improv
- Balaji & Kerkar - 3rd place
- Porter & Taylor - 5th place
Tascosa Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - 1st place
- Dawson Porter - 2nd place
Tascosa Informative Speaking
- Manasvi Geeni - 4th place
- Farrah Zein - 5th place
Tascosa International Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 2nd place
Tascosa Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein - 1st place
- Annie Chen - 2nd place
- Shriya Mohan - 5th place
Tascosa Program Oral Interpretation
- Nishka Kerkar - 4th place
- Matthew Taylor - 5th place
Tascosa Prose
- Matthew Taylor - 2nd place
We’re so proud of everyone who represented the Plano Senior Speech and Debate Team with excellence and spirit.
Can I get a P-Town?!?!
Nov 7-8 | The Ed long invitational at the hockaday school
Plano Senior High School competed just down the road in Dallas and came away with multiple wins.
Congress
- Dhruv Arun - 1st Place
- Lindsey Zhao - 4th Place
- Tyris Collins - 9th Place
- Lawson LeBlanc - 10th Place
Dramatic Interp
- Ayesha Baishya - 4th Place
Informative Speaking
- Annie Chen - 1st Place
- Manasvi Geeni - 5th Place
International Extemp
- Lindsey Zhao - 2nd Place
- Dhruv Arun - 6th Place
Original Oratory
- Annie Chen - 5th Place
Program Oral Interp
- Ayesha Baishya - 4th Place
Prose
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 2nd Place
- Alesha Bangash - 5th Place
OCT 24-25 | plano west
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Plano West Werewolf Halloween Classic tournament, where we were the overall second-best performing school out of 40. We are so proud of our wildcat team for their amazing performances and hard work!
Congressional Debate
- Zidan Kutub - 3rd place
- Lawson Leblanc - 5th place
- Riddhesh Kapadia - 12th place
- Sanjit Konda - Semifinalist
- Branden Giancola - Semifinalist
- Tyris Collins - Semifinalist
Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lawson Leblanc - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 3rd place
- Audrey Sermon - 6th place
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - Semifinalist
Humorous Interpretation
- Dharshana Balaji - CHAMP
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein – 2nd place
- Annie Chen - 4th place
International Extemp
- Dhruv Arun - semifinalist
- Sanjit Konda - semifinalist
Original Oratory
- Farrah Zein- semifinalist
- Annie Chen - semifinalist
Program Oral Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 2rd place
- Matthew Taylor - 4th place
- Dharshana Balaji - 5th place
Prose
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 1st place
- Matthew Taylor - Semifinalist
- Audrey Sermon - Semfinalist
Oct 11-12 | Coppell Classic Swing
This past weekend, the Plano Senior Speech and Debate team competed at the Coppell Classic Swing. From starting the day strong with warmups to winning multiple multiple events, our Wildcat team showcased incredible skill and teamwork throughout the entire tournament. Congratulations to all of our students on a fantastic performance!
International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lindsey Zhao - 2nd place
- Dhruv Arun - 6th place
Congressional Debate
- Riddhesh Kapadia - Semifinalist
- Branden Giancola - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation Asynchronous
- Ayesha Baishya - 3rd place
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 5th place
Program Oral Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 3rd place
- Matthew Taylor - 4th place
Program Oral Interpretation Asynchronous
- Nishka Kerkar - 1st place
- Matthew Taylor - 5th place
Prose
- Fatemeh Sohrabpour - 1st place
- Alesha Bangash - 2nd place
- Matthew Taylor - 3rd place
- Audrey Sermon - 4th place
Humorous Interpretation Asynchronous
- Dawson Porter - 5th place
Informative Speaking Asynchronous
- Annie Chen - 1st place
- Farrah Zein - 3rd place
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein - 3rd place
Original Oratory Asynchronous
- Farrah Zein- 1st place
- Shriya Mohan - 2nd place
- Bahara Nazari - Semifinalist
- Gargi Garg - Semifinalist
Original Oratory
- Annie Chen - Semifinalist
- Bahara Nazari - Semifinalist
Sept 12-14 | Grapevine classic tournament
On Sept 12-14, the Plano Senior Speech & Debate Team competed in the 37th Annual Grapevine Classic at Grapevine High School and Cross Timbers Middle School.
The tournament featured teams from across 14 states.
Congressional Debate (88 competitors)
- Lindsey Zhao - 8th place
- Dhruv Arun - 12th place
- Lawson Leblanc - Semifinalist
Informative Speaking
- Farrah Zein - 3rd place (earned TOC bid)
International Extemporaneous Speaking (35 Competitors)
- Lindsey Zhao - Semifinalist
- Dhruv Arun - Semifinalist
Dramatic Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 5th place
Program Oral Interpretation
- Ayesha Baishya - 2nd place (earned TOC bid)
Humorous Interpretation
- Darshana Balji - 1st place (earned TOC bid)
- Dawson Porter - 4th place
Prose
- Dawson Porter - 1st place
- Matthew Taylor - 6th place
Public Forum Debate (76 competitors from 6 states)
- Gargi Garg and Sandhya Shankar - Octos (earned Silver TOC Bid)
Sept 5-6 | Plano senior wildcat fall fair tournament
Plano Senior High School competed in the Lebanon Trail TFA Tournament, winning Debate Sweepstakes!
- Public Forum Debate
- Gargi Garg and Sandhya Shankar, 1st Place
- Congressional Debate
- Zidan Kutub, 2nd Place
- Lawson Leblanc, 5th Place
- Dhruv Arun, 6th Place
- International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Zidan Kutub, 2nd Place
- Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
- Lawson Leblanc, 3rd Place
Sandhya Shankar earned top speaker honors and Gargi Garg finished 4th speaker overall.
