The Tennessean Student of the Week honors young speakers, debaters. Vote now in our poll

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19-05-2025

In The Tennessean's final Student of the Week feature for the 2024-2025 school year, young speakers take the stage.
This week, we asked principals, teachers and guidance counselors in Middle Tennessee to send us their nominations for high schoolers who are mastering the art of communication, as The Tennessean continues to recognize students who are the "best of the best" in different categories this school year.
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They responded with six students.
Now, it's your turn to decide who comes out on top by voting in our online poll before noon on Thursday, May 22.
From standing out in speech class to securing top marks for their schools in competition, these locally and nationally recognized students demonstrate academic excellence at every turn and stand out amongst their peers.
Learn all about this week's nominees and their outstanding skills and achievements before casting your vote at the bottom of this story:
James Lawson High School officials say rising senior and upcoming captain of the school's debate team Abbie DeWeese lends a helping hand to her educators and peers.
'She has been incredibly helpful to not only me, but also to the novice debaters,' James Lawson High School Varsity Debate Coach and English Teacher Amanda Clarke said.
'She runs our practices, checks in with the new debaters at our tournaments in between rounds, she's always willing to lend a helping hand, and she works tirelessly on learning the material and preparing for her own debate rounds,' Clarke said.
DeWeese also consistently places in the top speaker and team awards at tournaments.
Portland High School senior Mia Humphrey was nominated by school officials for being a 'true leader and role model who consistently demonstrates excellence in all she does'.
Humphrey has served as a member of the speech team for three years. She was vice-president her junior year and president in her senior year.
Portland High School Principal David Woods says Humphrey earned first place in every competition she entered this year, a product of her talent, preparation and drive.
'Mia Humphrey is the embodiment of what we at Portland High School celebrate in our students: achievement, integrity, leadership and a drive,' Woods said.
'As President of the Speech Team, Mia has inspired her teammates through her dedication, positivity, and ability to lead by example.'
Woods says Humphrey is a two-time district champion, a state champion and a two-time national qualifier for the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League, securing the school's first ever national qualifier.
'In her role as a competitive speaker, Mia has honed invaluable life skills, confidence, persuasion, and critical thinking (that) not only serve her in competition but have also made her a powerful communicator in the classroom and beyond,' he said.
'Through countless hours of research, writing, and performance, she has learned to analyze topics, communicate with clarity and impact and stand tall in high-pressure situations.'
Humphrey ranks in the top 10% of her graduating class and is a recipient of the Speech Communication Departmental Award.
She's also a dual-sport athlete in soccer and basketball, where she continues to demonstrate teamwork, discipline and perseverance while balancing her academic and athletic commitments.
Montgomery Bell Academy Director of Debate Josh Clark nominated senior Kavneer Majhail and junior Russell Howard for their remarkable team accomplishments.
'Kavneer has had one of the most historic months I can ever remember for a debate student,' Clark said.
'… they did all these things together,' he said. 'I'm one proud coach.'
Clark says Majhail kicked off the historic month in April by winning the National Debate Coaches Association National Championship in policy debate alongside his partner, Howard.
Majhail and Howard competed in 11, two-hour debates over three days before defeating the St. Marks School of Texas in the final round on a 3-0 decision.
They attended the Tournament of Champions two weeks later.
According to Clark, it's the most prestigious national debate championship.
'Only 90 teams qualify for this tournament, and it's the goal of every policy debate team in the country to qualify for this prestigious tournament,' he said.
The teens were undefeated in the preliminary debates, finishing 7-0.
'This made them the top seed heading into the single-elimination debates,' he said.
In the elimination rounds, they won their round of 32, the Sweet Sixteen and the quarterfinals debate, Clark said, before losing a close 2-1 debate in the semifinals to Northview High School in Duluth, Georgia.
"Their semifinal finish means they finished as the 3rd-best team in the nation at the T.O.C., the country's most prestigious policy debate tournament," he said.
Another two weeks later, the teens headed to the Mock Trial National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona where they represented Tennessee as the state champion mock trial team against 49 other states and several foreign countries.
The Montgomery Bell Academy Mock Trial team finished 11-1 on judge ballots, securing the Mock Trial National Championship for the first time in school history, Clark said.
'Kavneer is also a great young man. He's kind and participates in so many ways on our campus,' he said.
Majhail was named an All-American, top lawyer honors and serves as one of the debate team captains at his school.
He plans to compete on Dartmouth's prestigious debate team in the fall.
Davidson Academy senior Harrison Massey earned a top spot alongside other Middle Tennessee student nominations by recently winning the TV Newscasting category at the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League State Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
'To my knowledge, that has never been done before,' Davidson Academy Speech Communications and Film Appreciation Teacher Mickey Hutson said.
Hutson began the Speech Program at Davidson Academy about four years ago after serving as a coach and teacher at Collierville High School and Arlington High School in Shelby County for 35 years.
He nominated Massey, who was chosen, by his peers, as Mr. Davidson Academy, saying 'Harrison was a dream to have in class'.
Rossview High School officials say senior Jalen Soto has won numerous awards this school year as a member of the Speech Team in Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Acting, Duet Improvisation and Humorous Interpretation at over eight speech tournaments in Tennessee.
Soto qualified in Dramatic Interpretation for NSDA NATIONALS in Des Moines, Iowa in June.
'He has broken into finals at every tournament, sometimes doubling and tripling, and always placing mainly top three or 1st every time,' Rossview High School Theatre Director and Speech and Debate Coach LuEllyn Boyer Wilcox said.
After graduation, Soto plans to attend Belmont University to continue developing his love for theatre, speech and music and pursue a future career in the industry.
'I have taught for over 36 years and truly see the talent Jalen exudes in the Arts, Academics and Community every day,' Wilcox said. 'I can't wait to see what his future holds!'
Katie Nixon can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessean Student of the Week features speakers, debaters. Vote now