Samantha Bianes, Tyler Carter, Lourdes Castruita, Derek Czapek, Laurinne Eugenio, Haley Renee Fagan, Marcello Garbo and Madison Geering. Gerardo Gonzalez-Martinez, Cameron Loughney, Nadia Martinez, Maico Moreno, Ursula Neuner, Abby Roman, Faith Talamantez and Vincent Urbina. 

These are the names of all 16 Bonita Vista High (BVH) Speech and Debate competitors who qualified for the California High School Speech Association (CHSAA) State Championship tournament, which unfortunately has been cancelled due to the coronavirus precautions. Each and every name was spoken aloud by Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) Superintendent Karen Janney Ed.D at a Board of Trustees meeting hosted via Microsoft teams on April 27, 2020. 

“We, the entire district, are proud of each student who challenged themselves to compete and achieved such great results for themselves, their school and the SUHSD. I realize how much time and preparation goes into competing in Speech and Debate. This is no small accomplishment and one definitely worth celebrating,” Janney said. 

Before the scheduled SUHSD Board of Trustees meeting, Janney reached out to teachers and administrators across the district asking them if there were any particular organizations or students who were greatly impacted by COVID-19 related cancellations. An email was sent back to her with the names of every BVH student who qualified for the CHSSA State Championship tournament — the email being from BVH Speech and Debate Advisor Eric Helle, who felt that the qualifying competitors “really lost something” after the tournament’s cancellation due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“When I saw the email and that they were gonna be recognized, it was a good feeling. When you think about all that’s been lost in the context of COVID-19 and the quarantine, it’s a gesture of kindness,” Helle said. “That’s significant. Isn’t that what makes life better? When we see these small acts of kindness?”   

According to Helle, none of the 16 student qualifiers were formally informed by any district official that they would be recognized at the meeting; however, Helle believes this acknowledgment to be “a positive step made to devote some time to honor an achievement.” 

“I think that with COVID-19 and the stay-at-home order, having their [student qualifiers] names read and the fact that it’s part of the Public Record now, is definitely significant,” Helle said. “It’s amazing that their names are now part of a document that will outlive their time.”

The recognition was not done in light of the record-breaking number of qualifiers but instead due to the cancellation of the tournament itself, announced on March 11th to competitors across California. Even after its cancellation, Janney believes this to be an opportunity for those returning next year to “strive for better and shine.” 

“These are people who dedicate the hours in their day to engaging in one of the most challenging extracurriculars out there. To the state qualifiers, and to our team at large, recognition means that all of that time and effort was working toward an end goal,” junior and Vice President of BVH Speech and Debate Madison Geering said. 

Geering was informed by Helle of her recognition and that of the teams, believing any recognition to be “a reflection of their community’s support.”

“I don’t think that the recognition is a substitute for the State Championship. I think that it is [the] recognition that our team deserves, with or without the cancellation of the tournament. The recognition was definitely very humbling. Any time that a success is recognized, I think it says something not only about the person but about the teammates that stood by them every step of the way,” Geering said

Although the circumstances brought upon by COVID-19 have posed substantial difficulties to the members of the BVH Speech and Debate Team, the district’s appreciation for what they’ve achieved will hopefully provide the team with some form of comfort for all the work they’ve done, according to Helle.

“Because at the end of the day, this team is about so much more than titles and trophies. It’s about the words that we choose to say and the people that we become,” Geering said.