State Champs, Yet Again: CM Speech & Debate Continues Dominant Run

West Roxbury, Mass.— Masks, social distancing, hybrid learning, Zooming. They're the buzzwords of our time, and each their own complex challenge to make regularly-scheduled school programming happen as usual.

They proved no permanent roadblock for the students of Catholic Memorial's School Speech and Debate Team, who — as usual — excelled in numerous performances to win the Massachusetts Speech and Debate League (MSDL) state championship in the Speech Division.

It's the fourth time in five years CM has claimed the title.

"It meant so much," said Amari Stuppard '21 of Randolph. "After all this hard work and devotion, we overcame all our obstacles."



Gathering in the Ronald S. Perry Gymnasium Sunday evening, 20 members of the Speech team waited with bated breath as the school winners of the tournament were announced. After Milton Academy was proclaimed the second place finisher, cheers erupted at Baker Street.

"Being there, with all of them, especially in the midst of COVID, really brought a humongous sense of camaraderie that I've never felt before," Amari said. "It felt amazing." 

Learn more about CM's Speech & Debate Team >

West Roxbury native Sean Fay '22 earned the top spot in Impromptu, while Colin Bligh '23, Medfield, won in the category of Radio Broadcasting. Co-captain Nick Olwell '21 of Dedham followed up on his first place finish in Programmed Oral Interpretation last spring with another first place finish, this year in Poetry. He also finished fourth place in Prose. 

Pat Blomberg, a freshman from Wellesley, won second place in Play Reading, and Amari Stuppard '21 of Randolph earned a silver in Poetry. 

For Coach Br. Anthony Cavet, the team's success comes down to the determination and commitment of the students to work together and make each other better.

"This team is largely peer-coached," Br. Cavet says. "Seniors love to practice with the younger students. They say, 'Give me somebody to train.'"

"They want acolytes," he jokes.

This group of CM students use other resources, too, reaching out to alumni on the team before them for feedback. 

But this year, for obvious reasons, proved a more challenging journey than usual. Unlike last year's virtual tournament, where students could practice together in-person up until mid-March, the 2021 competitors had to work around a full year of the pandemic. CM's preparation for the school year through its hybrid-learning model gave students the opportunity to see each other and interact safely on campus, but it's a different challenge to perform with the required masks. It meant figuring out new ways to communicate, to read each other and adapt.

For students performing in pairs or groups, that meant extra reliance on technology to record themselves in different rooms and align with the MSDL's safety precautions. But the extra effort paid off with top-notch results, and the season isn't over yet — several students making up the 45-member squad will also go on to compete in online national tournaments in May and June.