The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Speech and Debate (Forensics) team concluded another exceptional season with their annual end-of-year banquet held at Alfonso’s Trattoria on May 2. The evening served as both a celebration of the team’s achievements and a ceremonial passing of the torch to next year’s leadership.
Team advisors Alben Fischer and Melissa Pierce opened the event with reflections on what they described as their favorite year with the team.
Mr. Fischer spoke about how the season stood out not just for competitive achievements, but for the meaningful connections formed among team members and the personal growth he witnessed throughout the year. He shared that he had learned much more about the club members as individuals this season, watching them develop not only as speakers and debaters but as thoughtful young leaders.
A portion of the evening was dedicated to honoring the outgoing senior board members—Abhay Sankar (President), Atharva Makode (Vice President), and Sameer Tijare (Secretary)—who reflected on their journey with the team. In a symbolic gesture, the outgoing board officially passed down their positions to the incoming leadership: Viraaj Marathe as President with Hrishi Patel and Paritosh Bhole serving as Vice Presidents.
Marathe expressed gratitude for being given the leadership honor.
“Forensics has been one of my most valuable clubs since freshman year, so I’m really honored and excited to be president next year. This year was great, but we’ll put in our work to make next year the best one yet,” he said.
Patel shared his experience being a part of the Forensics team.
“Forensics has given me memories that I will truly never forget. The banquet was amazing and it felt great celebrating the success that everyone had this year. The new leadership will put in our work to make next year ever better,” he noted.
Bhole reflected on his transition to leadership next year.
“It’s an absolute honor to be named the Vice President of Forensics; this club has been a second home to me ever since freshman year. We had a monumental year and I hope to contribute to making next year even better.” Bhole revealed.
The evening featured an extensive awards ceremony recognizing individual accomplishments. Students received certificates highlighting their National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) points and membership achievements, with Anshita Jaiswal and Jadon Kim (alternate) earning recognition for advancing to the NSDA National Tournament located in Iowa in June.
Special recognition was given to those who had demonstrated growth, sportsmanship and dedication throughout the season. Superlative awards celebrated students who embodied the team’s core values, recognizing achievements in categories ranging from most improved to most spirited.
Perhaps the most anticipated moment of the evening was the announcement of next year’s event captains, who will provide leadership and mentorship in their respective categories.
For Public Forum Debate, Rishabh Sankar, Marko Gvozdenovic and Anaya Tejani were named captains.
In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Arnav Dham, Advika Prakash and Harshit Kondle were elected.
Manas Gumedelli was selected as Parliamentary Debate captain.
Speech captains were chosen as Achyut Nuli and Anay Gade.
Congressional Debate will be led by Anshita Jaiswal and Colin Hawley.
The banquet concluded with further celebrations and group pictures to memorialize the great Forensics season. Students and families departed with a sense of accomplishment for the past season and optimism for the future. The event marked both the successful conclusion of another chapter in Bridgewater-Raritan’s Forensics history and the promising beginning of the next.
