Petersburg City Public Schools is pleased to announce that two speech students from Petersburg High will compete in the 2025 National Speech and Debate Tournament: Kyani Donahue and Taylor Thomas. 

 

Donahue and Thomas recently competed in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Speech State Championships, where they each placed in their respective categories. Donahue placed second in Poetry, and Thomas placed third in Prose. They also excelled at the Super Regionals, with Donahue placing first in her category and Thomas placing second.

 

Although he will not compete in the upcoming tournament, Justice Moore has been an instrumental part of the team, placing first in Storytelling in the VHSL Speech State Championships as well as Super Regionals. 

 

“I am so proud of our talented students and their hard earned success,” said Superintendent Yolonda Brown. “I know that Kyani and Taylor have been diligently preparing for the national tournament and everyone from Petersburg City Public Schools will be cheering them on from here during their competition.”

 

Their coach, Terri Smith, has been a key contributor to the team’s success. Smith has worked at Petersburg High since 1996, overseeing the speech team since 2012. This is the second year that students from the Division have qualified to compete in the national competition. Last year, Thomas competed at the national level with Amelia Basile, who has since graduated from Petersburg High School. 

 

“I have seen firsthand how participation in speech has allowed our students to become bolder and more proficient with speaking out,” said Smith. 

 

Smith went on to say, “I have had numerous parents tell me that they see a difference in their child since participating in speech. The team worked extremely hard to excel this year. They took the criticism and feedback from the judges and applied what they knew was needed to better themselves. I am extremely proud of them!"

 

The national tournament will take place in Des Moines, Iowa from June 15-20, 2025. It will be hosted by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). The National Speech and Debate Association was created in 1925 to provide recognition and support for high school students participating in speech and debate activities. Since the inception of this competition, 6,700 students and 1,500 schools have participated in the tournament, and there have been 42 champions. 

 

The NSDA prides itself on empowering students through competitive speech and debate as well as providing a platform for young voices to be heard and celebrated in the area of speech and debate.