Westglades Middle School students earned 21 awards at the 29th Annual Wakefield Flying L Tournament, according to a September 28, 2026, report by Parkland Talk. Forty students represented the school at the competition hosted by Fort Lauderdale High School. The report’s publication date is confirmed; it does not specify the tournament’s exact day.
The results span more than one type of performance. Reported first-place finishes included Alissa Erickson in Middle School Dramatic Performance and Maria Carla Crespo in Novice Original Oratory. That level of detail matters: success in a particular division is a specific achievement, and should not be inflated into an unsupported overall tournament championship.
Coach Brooke A. Pappas described the experience to Parkland Talk as a demanding opportunity for younger students to participate in a high-school tournament. The account also emphasized students supporting one another. We are reporting publicly released educational achievements, without adding private information about individual students or claiming to have witnessed the event.
Speech and debate can look like a single activity from outside a school. In practice, its events ask different things of competitors. Original oratory centers a student’s prepared speech, while interpretation emphasizes the performance of material. Public forum brings opposing two-person teams into a structured debate. A result sheet makes more sense when those formats stay distinct.
Broward’s district program provides the broader context. BCPS says its debate initiative began in the 2012–13 school year with 15 high schools and now includes programs at every middle and high school. The district describes approximately 15,000 participating students. Those figures concern the wider initiative, not attendance at the Flying L tournament.
Westglades’ 2026–27 course directory also identifies debate within its academic offerings, including an eighth-grade option carrying high-school credit. Its description connects public speaking with current events, debate and interpretive activities. Course availability and enrollment requirements belong with the school; a tournament story should not imply automatic entry into a particular class.
This achievement deserves space alongside athletic results because the work is observable and specific. Students prepare, respond to evaluation and perform in front of other people. Celebrating that work does not require inventing rankings or portraying every participant as a future national champion.
For families interested in the activity, consult the school’s current course and club information. Ask about the formats offered, practice expectations and how tournament participation works. The verified headline remains the team’s 21 awards and broad participation.
Sources
Video: No verified embeddable video available
