ORONO – Twenty-five teams from 20 schools competed recently at the Maine Forensic Association State Tournament at the University of Maine.

Bangor High School took first place in the overall debate tournament, with Deering, Cheverus, Morse and Brunswick high schools rounding out the top five.

The Maine Forensic Association sponsors three forms of debate:

. Policy is a debate in which a single topic is presented throughout the year. While a team must be able to support both sides of an issue, one team proposes a plan, and the opposing team attacks it.

. Lincoln-Douglas is a debate in which individual debaters defend values rather than policies. Every two months, a new value-oriented topic is presented to the student.

. Public forum is a new event in which teams of two debate, and the side and order of presentation are chosen at the start of the debate by a coin toss. A “crossfire” period allows questions from all four debaters at once, and the “last shot” period is a chance for each debater to present the one argument he or she thinks will win the debate.

. First place in policy debate: Hanna Claeson and Morgan Herrell, Bangor High School.

. First place in Lincoln-Douglas debate: novice division, Katie Gullick, Cheverus High School; varsity division, Anthony Loring, Deering High School.

. First place in public forum debate: Andy Baldacci and Joey LaChance, Bangor High School.

In the speech portion of the tournament, students competed in eleven categories:

. First place in dramatic interpretation: Tory Gram, Orono High School.

. First place in prose: varsity division, Cassie Jenson, Lewiston High School; novice division, Carl Elsaesser, Brunswick High School.

. First place in oratorical declamation: Ben Doty, Skowhegan Area High School.

. First place in ensemble: Ben Doty, Eric Axleman and Alex Beach, Skowhegan Area High School.

. First place in duo interpretation: Audrey Schwinn and Moriah Churchill, Edward Little High School.

. First place in humorous interpretation: Zach Hews, Poland High School.

. First place in poetry, Ashley McWhorter, Lewiston High School.

. First place in novice poetry, Hilary Divine, Orono High School.

. First place in extemporaneous speaking, Zening Chen, Orono High School.

. First place in original works, Alexz Wight, Poland High School.

. First place in original oratory, Haili Muse, Skowhegan Area High School.

. First place in story telling, Greta Landis, Orono High School.

Skowhegan High School took first place in the overall speech showings.

In the student Congress portion of the tournament, which is an activity that has students write legislation, run an active session of Congress, learn parliamentary procedures and develop arguments for and against bills:

. Senate, Thomas Kester, Edward Little High School, first place.

. House 1, Allie Smith, Yarmouth High School, first place.

. House 2, Matt Coulillard, Scarborough High School, first place.

. Scarborough High School, overall student Congress section.

The sportsmanship award went to Noble High School.

The coach of the year award went to Debbie Averill of Bangor High School.