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Toth nominated for national speech, debate award
Darby Toth has been surrounded by debate and forensics her entire life.
All of the knowledge and skills she has obtained throughout her school years, as well as the assistance she has received from coaches, teachers, family and friends, have brought the 2018 Fort Scott High School graduate to this point.
Toth can now add another honor to her growing list of accomplishments –she has been selected as one of six finalists for the 2018 William Woods Tate Jr., National Student of the Year award, an annual recognition from the National Speech and Debate Association.
“It’s kind of a summation of all the hard work, like here is why I’ve been working so hard for four years,” Toth said in an interview with the Tribune.
Toth said her mom, Amber Toth, debate and forensics coach at FSHS, informed her of the recent news.
“My mom told me ‘I have news,’ that I was chosen for the top six,” she said. “It was a sigh of relief. It’s super cool that all that hard work has ended up paying off, and in several ways, with relationships and skills, too.”
Amber said Darby was selected as the district student of the year, which made her eligible for selection for the national honor. Darby was chosen from among thousands of students from across the country. The National Student of the Year will be announced June 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The student also wins a $1,000 scholarship.
At nationals, Darby will interview before a committee that will choose the national student of the year. This will take place during the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Nominees must also demonstrate the same criteria as for the district award.
“She will spend a day conducting grueling interviews on our sightseeing day,” Amber said. “We will find out if she’s selected at the awards assembly.”
NSDA District Tournaments are held each year to determine the qualifiers for the National Tournament in speech, debate and congressional debate. Each district tournament is hosted by an Association District, which is made up of a set of schools in a given geographic region, according to www.speechanddebate.org.
According to the website, the District Student of the Year award is presented to a graduating senior in each district who best represents the tenets of the National Speech and Debate Association’s Code of Honor; integrity, respect, humility, leadership and service. Nominees must also demonstrate strong academic credentials and a commitment to the speech and debate community. Each year, six students who win the district award are chosen as finalists for the National Student of the Year award.
“She’s the first from our district to ever be chosen,” Amber said. “We’ve had several district students of the year.”
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