The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) has awarded Saratoga’s speech and debate team as being in the top 10 percent in the nation.

According to the NSDA, one degree confirms that a team’s members and coaches have achieved a certain amount of success in tournaments and competitions.

The speech and debate team received over 100 degrees last year, qualifying it to be a member in the National Forensic League’s (NFL) prestigious 100 Club.

The team’s achievement of such a high number of degrees allows it to be recognized as Premier Distinction.

This award can be attributed to the work of last year’s speech and debate coach Erick Rector, who is no longer coaching, as well assistant coaches, parents support and of course, student participants.

For debater junior Shrey Desai, this distinction shows that the program has improved in recent years.

“Over the past few years, [the program] has evolved into a cohesive team that consistently advances to elimination rounds at tournaments and sends IE and debate members to the state and national competitions,” Desai said.

According to Desai, the distinction will help the program by increasing morale.

“[This distinction] is representative of the hard work that each member has put into the team,” Desai said. “Each member should be proud of themselves because without each member’s individual contribution, this high distinction wouldn’t have been possible in the first place.”

In addition to increasing team confidence, Desai also believes that the distinction will improve the program’s future success.

Desai said that the distinction will improve enrollment because parents will see the high-achieving program as something that their child should join and thrive in.

“Our speech and debate program has burst into a new era, and new coaches can add to a mosh pit of education and skills that can serve to help everyone,” Desai said.