10 gold medals for GCA students

 Eight Grace Christian Academy students won a total of 10 gold medals in this school year’s forensics (PGFC, NJFL, and NFL) and thespians competitions.

GCA had one gold medal in the K-5th grades Primary Grades Forensic Conference, five in the 6th-8th grades National Junior Forensic League, two in the 9th-12th grades National Forensic League, and another two in the Thespians competition.

Second grader Clerisse Dacumos, who won a gold medal in Impromptu Speaking, will represent GCA in the PGFC special presentation at the end of the school year. This is her second time to win major awards in the PGFC regional completion. She placed 4th in Impromptu Speaking last year.

Angela Cruz, an 8th grader, won two gold medals in the National Junior Forensic League and another two gold medals in Thespians. In NJFL, she won gold in Duo Interpretation and she and her partner Rebekah Kim will represent the CNMI in that event at the national competition. She also won a gold medal in Dramatic Interpretation but the 3rd placer from another school will represent the CNMI in Dramatic Interpretation in the national competition. As a rule, students who bagged more than one gold medal must select the best category he/she will represent in the nationals so next slots will be made available for the silver medal awardees or the next available awardees. The silver medalist in DI is Yujin Lee, another GCA student who will do Story Telling in the national competition. This year marks Cruz’s second time in the NJFL national event. She was with the CNMI team in her 7th grade. In Thespians, she and her partner Allexa Go will compete in duet acting and she will be the contender for solo musical theatre in the national competition. She has been competing for Thespians since last year, but this will be her first time to join the Thespians national competition.

Of winning four gold medals, Cruz said she was “really shocked and absolutely happy because all the hard work paid off.” This is her tenth year at GCA.

Yujin Lee, a 7th grade student, also won two gold medals in NJFL. She won a gold medal in Story Telling and she selected it as her main event in the national competition. She also won a gold medal in Poetry Reading, but the fourth placer from another school will compete in that event because the second and third placers are also from GCA and they will go for Duo Interpretation as their main event at the nationals. This is Lee’s second time to represent GCA at the nationals. She has been winning major awards for GCA since second grade.

Rebekah Kim, also an 8th grade student, won a gold medal in Duo Interpretation with partner Angela Cruz. This will be her first time to join the CNMI team at the national competition. Kim has been very active in NJFL since seventh grade.

Asako Camacho, another GCA 8th grade student won in Prose Reading and will represent that event at the national competition. This is her first time to win a gold medal. “I was shocked and cried upon knowing that I won gold medal in my last year in NJFL,” Camacho said.

Allexa Go, an 8th grader, will compete with her partner Angela Cruz for Duet Acting in the Thespian Festival national competition. It’s her first time to join the local Thespians competition and has been with GCA since K4.

GCA’s Terence Ho ruled the Impromptu Speech competition, getting the jurors’ unanimous decision and advancing to the nationals. An 11th grader, he has been competing in the forensic arts for four years, but this is his first time to join the CNMI team for the nationals. Upon learning that he won a gold medal, “I thought they said my name by accident or they were just joking, and I was in disbelief.”

Angela Mamaril, bagged the gold medal for her impressive performance in Extemporaneous Commentary. This will be her second time to go to the NFL national competition. “I was surprised because I was up against really talented speakers.”

All of the six GCA NJFL and NFL students will join the CNMI team to vie for national titles against students from 53 U.S. states and territories in a competition set on June 10-17, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The two Thespians GCA gold medalists will join the other students from public secondary schools who won gold medals in the 2012 thespian regional competition and will represent the Commonwealth in the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 25 through June 30.

All competitions are organized by the National Forensic Board and supported by the CNMI Public School System. PGFC, NJFL, and NFL competitions encourage public and private school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: reading, debate, public speaking, and interpretations. Thespian events help students expand their artistic capabilities and imagination through stage plays and performances that build character and confidence. (GCA)