3 FSHS students among top 100 in nation

There is no debate that three Fort Scott High School students are among the best forensics students in the country.

FSHS seniors Daniel Lyon, Chase Rooks and Jeff Durbin, members of the school's debate and forensics team, are starting the school year ranked in the list of the top 100 National Forensic League students in the nation. As of Thursday, Lyon is ranked second in the nation, Rooks is ranked No. 78, and Durbin is ranked No. 94, according to FSHS debate and forensics coach Brian Weilert.

"Starting this season, it's exciting," Weilert said. "It's exciting for the kids. Nobody knows unless you're in it how hard it is, how much work is put in ... it's important to our school and our state even."

The three students are also members of the NFL, the national organization for middle school and high school debate and forensics. The NFL's membership consists of more than 115,000 of the top student speakers in the country. Students are ranked by points they earn during competition with the top 150 students recognized as NFL All-Americans.

"It's a reflection of their willingness to compete, and also the level of success at that competition," Weilert said.

Lyon, who was briefly ranked No. 1 in the nation, said he is still proud of his high ranking.

"I was number one for two days, but now I'm down to number two," he said. "It's pretty exciting ... it's a real challenge making sure I end the year that way. It's awesome."

Lyon said he attributes his success to different factors.

"Every year, I compete as much as I can and work as hard as I can," he said. "I've had a lot of luck, and I'm very fortunate because Kansas is highly regarded as one of the best states for forensics. It has the third most competitors of all the states."

Being part of a team that frequently works to improve -- including many hours spent working after school -- is also beneficial, Lyon added.

"I think hard work and attitude is what has done it for me," he said. "I think what sets Fort Scott apart from other schools is that we are always working. We've had a lot of success that way."

Weilert said the three young men bring a variety of talents and skills to the table as debate and forensics students.

"Jeff and Chase are also academic All-Americans as well as competitive All-Americans," he said. "Daniel is a tenacious competitor, and diverse. He wants to compete."

According to information provided by Weilert, Lyon is a 3-time national qualifier, twice in public forum debate and once in policy debate. He was a runner-up in policy debate and extemporaneous speaking during state competition in 2009. He was a member of the state champion forensics teams at FSHS in 2009 and 2010.

Rooks is a 3-time national qualifier, twice in public forum debate and once in extemporaneous speaking. He was a runner-up in policy debate and placed in informative speaking during state competition in 2010. He finished in the top 19 in expository speaking at a national tournament in 2010. He was also a member of the state champion forensics team at FSHS in 2010.

Durbin is a national qualifier in Lincoln-Douglas debate and placed in prose during state competition in 2010. He was also a member of the state champion forensics team at FSHS in 2009 and 2010.