April 3, 2020

Five named speech & debate Academic All-Americans

Five Upper St. Clair High School students recently earned Academic All-American Awards from the National Speech & Debate Association. Seniors Vivek Babu, Basir Khan, Alex Lampe and Anusha Neupane as well as junior Maddie Nolen have been honored for their academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence.

To earn this coveted honor, students must meet the following minimum requirements: 3.5 unweighted GPA; 1300 SAT or 27 ACT score; and 750 National Forensic League Honor Society Points. From more than 141,000 student members of the National Speech & Debate Association, fewer than one percent of students earn the Academic All-American Award each year.

“This tremendous accomplishment places these students among the top one-percent of all student members across the country,” J. Scott Wunn, executive director of the National Speech & Debate Association, said.

These Upper St. Clair students join five classmates who were recognized as Academic All-Americans last fall, including seniors Claire Chen, Devan Ekbote, Mathena Jencka, Sunny Chai and Anika Sinha.