Congratulations to Riverside High School for winning the Speech School of Excellence Award at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament, held in Des Moines, IA, June 16th through 21st. The NSDA National Tournament is the largest academic competition in the world, with participation from over 1500 schools and 6700 students representing not only all fifty states but several other countries. Only the top twenty schools in speech events are named Schools of Excellence.

In addition to the school award, several students won individual honors. In the main speech events, junior Treesa Abraham advanced to the quarterfinals of Informative Speaking, placing her in the top 30 in the nation; seniors Gauryama Blanchard and Shanik Miedreich advanced to the quarterfinals of Dramatic Interpretation, placing each of them in the top 30 in the nation; and junior Kai Tucker advanced to the Octofinals of Humorous Interpretation, placing him in the top 60 in the nation.

In high school supplemental events, Riverside also made major breaks. Sophomore Enyo Toklo was a semifinalist in Original Spoken Word Poetry and a double octofinalist in Poetry Interpretation. Senior Krteyu Ramanathan was a quarterfinalist in Commentary and an octofinalist in Impromptu Speaking. Junior Isabella Murillo was a quarterfinalist in Commentary and a double octofinalist in Storytelling. Junior Valeria de la Llave was an octofinalist in both Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation. In addition to his main event success, Kai Tucker was also an octofinalist in Impromptu Speaking and a double octofinalist in Commentary. Sophomore Artem Feno was an octofinalist in Storytelling. Senior Zane Holley was an octofinalist in Commentary. Junior Jeffrey Yu was a double octofinalist in Expository.

The 2024 team captains were Zane Holley and Shanik Miedreich. Heather Brown-Cook, Jinsoo Kim, Pete Martin, Mit Patel, and Cara Sizemore serve as volunteer coaches. Greg Cook is the senior coach. David Dejesa is the school advisor and program director.