Two JPS Speech & Debate competitors brought home state championship awards from the 2026 MHSAA Speech & Debate State Tournament held at Millsaps College on April 24-25. 

Over 150 competitors from 12 MHSAA schools gathered at Millsaps to compete in the tournament. Competitors qualified for the tournament based on the records at invitational tournaments hosted by high schools and colleges around the state throughout the past school year.  

Serenity Moore, a 10th-grade scholar at Forest Hill High School, won the State Championship in the event of Storytelling. Per the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), “Storytelling is a five-minute event in which students perform a published story as if presenting to a group of young children.”  

This is Forest Hill’s first MHSAA State Championship in Speech & Debate. The Forest Hill team’s head coach is Dr. Brad Blake. 

Clarissa Coleman, a 12th-grade scholar at Murrah High School and JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School, won the State Championship in Impromptu Speaking. According to the NSDA, “Impromptu Speaking is a public speaking event in which students are given seven minutes (with a 30-second grace period) to select a topic, brainstorm ideas, organize a speech, and deliver it without the use of notes.” 

Clarissa also was named the Overall Top Individual Performer, an award given to the student who has earned the most points at the tournament across all events, and was offered a $2,500 scholarship by Millsaps College. In addition to taking 1st place in Impromptu, Clarissa was a finalist in Congressional Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking, and reached Semifinals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.  

This is the first time in MHSAA history that a student from JPS has been named Overall Top Individual Performer. The Murrah team’s head coach is Mr. Micah Everson. 

Both scholars advance to the NCFL and NSDA national tournaments this summer in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, VA. They are currently fundraising to support travel and competition costs. You can donate here if you'd like. Want to support the teams in another way? Please reach out to Dr. Blake or Mr. Everson.