BHS grad Josko ranked 3rd in the State among 2,000 students
Three high school students and 12 middle school students represented Beresford at the National Speech and Debate Tournament (NSDA) held in Des Moines on June 16-20. The tournament brings together thousands of contestants and judges from across the United States.
There are 23 different events of NSDA high school competitions. A total of 1,254 high schools from 49 states sent 5,749 individual competitors to Nationals, having qualified in their home states. Representing Beresford were Isabelle Beeson and Sophia Coe; both entered in the events of Storytelling and Serious Prose. Max Josko competed in Congressional debate in the Senate and also in Serious Prose. Max graduated in May and ends his high school career in Speech and Debate with 2053 NSDA points which ranks him third in the state of South Dakota among over 2,000 students in speech and debate.
Starting with over 660 high school students entered in Storytelling, Isabelle Beeson advanced from preliminary rounds to the top 60 in quarterfinals. Isabelle was the only Beresford student this year to advance beyond prelims.
The Middle School division of the National Tournament brought together 198 middle school teams from 41 states in 18 different types of competitions. 829 individual 5-8 grade middle school competitors were at the tournament. Representing Beresford were 8th graders Ojala Bartlett, Abby Cahoon, Raiden Hanner and Sophia Penn; 7th graders Julia Kinney and Emma Martinsen; 6th graders Anna Andrews, Zooey Bartlett, Natalie Buum, and Noah Peterson; and 5th graders Sean Buum and Emma Cahoon. Although Beresford’s middle school represents one of the smallest schools in the nation with an NSDA Middle School Chapter, as of May 2025, they are currently ranked in the top 20 schools in the nation out of a total 350 NSDA chapters.
Team Coach Ann Tornberg wishes to thank the judges who attended the national tournament including Kelly and Conrad Josko, Teri Beeson, and Alicia Cahoon along with the many parents who were attendees. On behalf of the team, Mrs. Tornberg also wants to thank the community of Beresford for their donations to make the trip possible, and especially the Beresford Area Foundation for their generous contribution.