Whiz Kids: A Tip of the Hat to the (Well Spoken) Eastside Catholic School's Speech and Debate Team

Each week, Sammamish Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.

This week, well, a group of articulate high school students at  is receiving a tip of the hat. The reason: Three are the state champions in debate but they all received high honors.

The students participated in the Debate and Student Congress Tournament, which was held March 18 and 19 at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. It was sponsored by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Sammamish Patch knows these well-spoken students can probably express this sentiment in a more eloquent way but: Congratulations!

Sammamish Patch Whiz Kids of the Week: Derek Holliday, Tessie LaMourea, Kyle Hendrix, John Holt and Tim O’Melia

Whiz Kids' School: Eastside Catholic School

Whiz Kids' Accomplishment: The following is from Jeff Gans, a teacher who coaches the speech and debate team.

"Nearly 60 schools compete in Speech and Debate in Washington. After a qualifying season that stretches from October to March with tournaments nearly every weekend occupying hundreds of hours, we brought five competitors to the State tournament, the maximum allowed in District 2. In Congressional Debate, the team of Kyle Hendrix, John Holt, and Tim O'Melia won the State title outright, with Kyle taking the Top Presiding Officer award, John winning second place overall, and Kyle and Tim each reaching Finals. In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Derek Holliday finished fifth overall and was the first place speaker. Tessie LaMourea was the third place speaker."

Gans also pointed out that James Wiegel is another Eastside Catholicspeech and debate coach. Wiegel has coached the team for the past four years. "He is really the one who engineered the team's growth," Gans wrote in an email.

Editor's note: Sammamish Patch wants to hear about amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to brad.wong@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Nominator's Name
• Nominator's E-Mail
• Whiz Kid's Name
• Whiz Kid's Age
• Whiz Kid's School
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful? Please include a 150-word description)

Just a gentle reminder: This is not a competition. This is just a nice community way to highlight young people in Sammamish - and especially those who inspire. Sammamish Patch will try and feature as many students as possible.