Dunn School in Los Olivos is leading Speech and Debate students on the Central Coast

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. -- Dunn School hosted it's 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament This weekend.

They lead the tournament taking two first place wins in the high school division, with senior Alex Grenier in the Spontaneous Argumentation (SPAR) competition on Friday, and freshman Husna
Balaven won first-place in the best high school interpretive speech on Saturday.
This weekend’s competition celebrated the spirit and legacy of Dr. King’s work in the civil rights movement.

“I did a malcolm X speech. I'm passionate about Malcolm X and because Malcolm X is very different from Dr. King, but they have a lot of similarities.. the world has changed so much, and what he's (MLK) speaking for is the same. But how he's speaking for it and who is carrying the speeches on is going to be different, for different causes because the world is always changing," said Husna Balaven.

Head of School, Kalyan Balaven said having a rigorous speech and debate program was one of his goals when he began his administrative role at Dunn.

“Students research. They look into they organize their thoughts. They use critical thinking. They ask the right questions. They answer those questions. Those are the skills that students will use throughout their lives. And that's why speech and debate is crucial," said Kalyan Balaven.

Balaven adds, speech and debate is an essential tool students need to succeed in college and in life.