Berkley Trip...

After a few traveling hiccups...the debate team made it to California!

This is the group that made it's way to Berkley.
They are mainly Snohomish High kids...with three from Karman's school.
The teams join together since our team is so small.
It makes it a nice size group.

They spent most of the their days, and nights on the beautiful campus of Berkley.

This clock tower is the middle ground...and focal point of the campus.
It was their meeting spot throughout the trip.

This is the furthest she has ever traveled from us...
She loved every second of it. (Go figure:))

On the last day...the group got to go into San Fransico.
That was a lot of fun for them.
Karman did all of her souvenier shopping....and they did some sight seeing.

And some goofing around...

One of the most memorable things they got to do, was to eat at the famous, Bubba Gumps.
SUPER EXPENSIVE...but something to remember too.

Karman did GREAT at the tournaments.
She put in some RIDICULOUSLY long hours...(she not a good lack-of-sleep girl...after a day...she doesn't function so well)
She worked hard!
She made Octo-finals...which is where they narrow it down to 8 finalists...
But then didn't quite make it to quarter finals.
She still got a silver engraved plate award.
That was pretty awesome.

This was a REALLY big opportunity for her. The experience alone was amazing...and she was lucky to be able to join the group this year!
She had a great time...but came home REALLLLLLLLY tired, and sounding like she is getting sick too. So I am guessing that she will take a good week to recover from the fun that she had! :)

The debate season is ALMOST over.
It has been a long season for her, but she has done SOOOO well that it has seemed to have gone so fast.
It ending means the school year, is that much closer to being over.

We are so proud of your accomplishments, and how much you have grown over the course of the year! I truly hope you see how amazing you are at debate...and how much it has helped you in a level that I don't think you quite understand yet!
You deserve every single award you have earned...and we are so impressed by them all!

Berkley Bound...

I just dropped Karman off.

Bound for University of California Berkley...for a HUGE debate tournament.

This was a huge honor to be invited to.
We scraped together the money so that she could be a part of it!
It is a multi-state tournament, and is a really big deal!

She leaves today, and will be heading back on the 22nd.
She got a shiny new ID card...and is all packed and walking around with bells on!

Hoping for good news!!!
Good Luck Karman!!!

Our Debater!!!

For the first time ever, Karman's team went to Eastside Catholic.
She wasn't too excited, because it is a relatively small tournament.
I reminded her...that she has to do her time, doing the small sets too, in order to prime for the big sets.
That you can't expect to always have these amazing, enlightened experiences...sometimes...you just have to put in your time to get to the reward at the end...
{You see...you don't HAVE to go on these...it is a choice which you participate in, if any, (or all) but how many hours you put in directly relates to lettering....and obviously...winning.}

So she went. She did her time...and the work....
She had a good day...She had fun!
AND LOOK WHAT SHE GOT OUT OF IT!!!!!

Hands down, the coolest trohpies thus far in her debate career.
They are huge....and REAL metal.
She adores them!
(She is even doing a ceramics project in her class based on the larger one.)

So, she ended up with a 1st in ORATORY and a 3rd in EXPOSITORY!!!
SO COOL!
She was SO incredibly happy that she made the decision to do the work and go!
I can't believe how well she is doing in Oratory!
It is phenomenol to me. Oratory is usually her least favorite, and it shows. It is the one she doesn't want to practice...and doesn't work on.
This year has just been a complete turn around in it!

So her dresser is really full of trohpies!

She is going to BERKLEY NEXT!
Which is HUGE!
it is a huge opportunity for her...and one of the largest high school debate tournaments that exsists.

Then she still has the STATE competition...and National Qualifiers...and from there...Maybe, NATIONALS!!!!

Can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings for her.
We are really proud of you!

Awarded...

3rd place plaque, awarded to Karman Bean, on February 5th, 2011.

For her Oratory speech on Oceanic Polution!

Great job again, Karman!!!!

THIS IS A HUGE WIN!

This event was at PLU in Tacoma.
It is a GINORMOUS tournament.
Somewhere around 38 schools compete.

You have to understand, Karman's team is REALLY small. Comparatively that is.
Their school only opened their doors two years ago, it is only in it's third year mow.
So they are a VERY young and immature team.
There are only 3 REPETITIVE debaters, and then a few that come when they can.

Usually teams like that don't take home a lot of awards.
And this is a BIG tournament, with a lot of very skilled, and versed teams.

She didn't think she stood a chance...
But she took SECOND place in her Expository speech!
It is funny the way she wins...in the different tournaments. One she will take first in Oratory and none in Expos, and the next she will win in Expos and get nothing in Oratory.
It just all has to do with the competition!

Congratulations....
She is winning so much I am losing a way to say how proud of her we are.....
:)

DOUBLE FIRST PLACE!

She took FIRST!!!!!!!

TWICE!!!!!!

She has never taken first in both of her events!

Karman is doing so well in debate this year.

It shows because she is a good debater at home too. :)

She has made BID in both of her events.

That means that she will be going to STATE for BOTH speeches.

Another thing she has never done.

She has gone to state once...but only for her Expository...never for both.

Funny thing, how winning changes a persons perspective.

Suddenly she is actually practicing all on her own, and is working without me nagging her about it.

That is what we have tried so hard to get her to see since the beginning.

That if she puts the time in...she wins...and

then it feels...

AWESOME!

If she wins in State....She will then go to Nationals....which are in Texas.

WHICH WOULD BE INCREDIBLE!

For her...for the obvious reasons...of the experience, the memories etc....

but also because she could potentially win a full four year scholarship!

She is really proud of herself...as she should be.

We are so proud of her accomplishments.

YAY-HOO!!!

3rd Place Win!!!

This win is a BIG win!

This was a Southend Tournament at Federal Way High.
Southend events are always popular, which makes it so that the kids are up against seasoned, good teams.
They are competitive and difficult to win!

Karman took THIRD!!!
It is a beautiful trophy, and she was SO happy!

She is doing so well this year in debate!
It is awesome that she will have these memories!

We are so proud that she has taken debate seriously this year!

It is so fun to see all of her trophies, and how happy she is about all of them!

Just makes me smile inside. :)

And outside.

First win of the year...

On December 11th, Karman won her first big debate event of the season.

She took first place in her Open Expository round.

It is a pretty big deal because while in her first year of debate she won time and time again...

last year she really didn't take any awards.


She kind of went into, what should have been a exciting final year of her club, feeling a little defeated and underwhelmed.
However, with A LOT of prodding by us...she worked, and practiced...and worked some more...

And it paid off!
She was rewarded!!!

So, to us, these awards were a little bitter-sweet because of what was happening at the time....and the fact that we didn't get to celebrate it with her at all because of her choices.
It is a hard place for parents to be.

(I am post-dating this to fit it where it belongs even though I didn't get to take the pictures for 2 weeks after, when she finally came home)

But regardless,
We will always be proud of her accomplishments.
I knew she was going to do well this year!

Ahhhhh...the world of Highschool...

So we went to Karman's final debate event. It was an awards banquet at a local Mexican restaurant.

So she got.....*Glacier Peak High School Speech and Debate award/pin 2008-2009, *State particiaption award/pin 2009, *Double National Forensic League member award 2008-2009 and a *VARSITY letter award.

Are you kidding me???? Awesome...


First year debater, on a first year team, at a first year school. Impressive...surprising...wonderful!

*************************************************

Despite the frustrations, and the everyday teenage girl drama, Karman, you make us very proud. Though sometimes it seems the arguing, yelling, and crying in our house outweighs any sentimental moments these days...it really does impress us what you accomplished. (Even though Debate has taught you to argue even more...)

So, just because I can, I am going to go mommy here for a minute...

Karman,

You challenge us, and push us to figure out how to make your future as bright as we can manage, despite what you THINK you want, now. You, seemingly, don't usually like our decisions, nor do you like our opinions...but in the amazing way of life...you don't have much choice. And thank GOD...because if you did, at this volitle age...I don't know what would happen.

Fortunately, for us and for you, there are enough bright spots to keep us all waiting for the day (and we know it will come) when the slamming of doors, and the rolling of eyes will come to an end...when you care less about the fact that we push and INSIST (and boy, do we push and insist) that you cannot and WILL NOT fail Spanish, and more about making sure, for YOURSELF, that you do EVERYTHING not to fail, in anything...when you don't think you are the smartest teenager on Earth and instead, realize you can benefit SO MUCH by what others can teach you. It all comes with age...but I do hope you will realize that you are SO much better and more deserving then you think you are right now at this, quickly passing age. Being a teenage girl, is kind-of brutal...and when we make it through we, hopefully, find who we are, and come into our own and are better off because of it.

You are getting there my dear...Almost finished with your sophomore year...beautiful, smart and trying so hard to figure out your place in the world of highschool. But, you need to worry less about your place, and more about your time there. I can tell you that someday, you won't care where you did, or didn't, fit it, or what you are, or aren't doing, that others are...but you will have regrets about what you didn't learn, the bridges you burned, or the opportunities that you didn't take advantage of while you could.

Be VERY proud of what you have accomplished, know that you can always accomplish more, keep your head above the level of people who try to belittle you. I have confidence, that you will then, do nothing but succeed!

Speech and Debate has been great for you and we look so forward to watching you grow with it over the next couple of years. Congratulations!

Get in the SPIRIT!!!

It is Winter Spirit Week at Karman's high school!

She got quite creative with her dress up. This is Friday, and the theme was WACKY BLUE AND WHITE DAY....

For the record...Her school name is Glacier Peak HS. And the mascot is grizzlies (hence the paw print)

She did those nails herself~I was quite impressed...BOTH HANDS!

This is the actual wacky blue and white day, and how she was dressed!

Saturday, she was at the first, of the last three debate tournaments for the year. Next week, she goes to National Qualifiers (which if she made that...she will be going out of state to compete for that too...) and then finally, on the 14th, are STATE FINALS!!! Which she made it to for one of her two events.

We are very proud, and impressed at how well she has done with this whole thing! We can't wait to see what next year brings!!!

Highschool Debate...

Karman has joined debate this year.
It seems it is right up her alley...She is very outgoing, and can be well spoken, and always makes a good first impression on people.

We, as parents, are hoping it will give her some experience beyond what is in her comfort zone. To gain some world knowledge, to become even more clear in her thoughts, and learn how to organize them. We are hopeful, as she is excelling, that the intrest remains, because there are MANY scholarship opportunities.

There are many different forms of debate, and she has chosen the speech format. So she has written two speeches. One is informational, and one is persuasive. Throughout the year, she keeps the same speeches, but improves them. Eventually, she will memorize them, and add movements, and visual aides. They are very good, and I look forward to them getting even better as the year progresses.

In her very first debate she got a ribbon...which was unheard of, as she is only in her first year of debate, and at a brand-spankin new school, that barely even has a team. She competed against many very seasoned teams, and still won a ribbon. Her second earned her a metal...At the end of November, her fourth debate, she received TWO trophies....one FIRST place, and one SECOND place! It was amazing. She and I had worked and worked on the speeches, and it paid off!!!

Now she is working toward her sixth competition, she is working on memorization now, and will be moving into open debate (which means that notecards are no longer allowed).

She puts in LONG hours on competition days, and works hard...and the pay off, for the teenage self-esteem, is HUGE!

Where does the time go?