Embedded Files
Plano East Senior High School
Plano East Senior High School
Sandip attended Plano East Senior High School (PESH) where he earned numerous local, state and national awards for his speech and debate skills. Winning those awards took practice and exposure to opportunities. (i.e. it’s difficult to win the National Championship if you’ve never competed in any other national tournament during the season). Sandip worked closely with the coach of the PESH team, Madi Gackenbach, who has grown the team from thirty to 120 students during her seven year tenure. The team now ranks fifth in the state of Texas, and aspires to grow its national presence. In the months before Sandip passed, he and Madi were setting up coaching sessions for the PESH students so they could eventually secure national titles - just as Sandip did during his debating days.
During high school, Sandip was selected to speak at the city's Memorial Day celebration; he spoke about the contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers.
As of February 2025, four talented students on the PESH Speech and Debate team were qualified for prestigious national tournaments in Chicago and Kentucky in the Spring, but the steep entry fees of the tournaments (plus food and travel costs) hindered their ability to participate. Thus, in March 2025, the Gupta family made an immediate, initial contribution to cover the full expenses of these four students across both tournaments (to be followed by an annual contribution). Madi shares that “while the students will unfortunately never have the benefit of Sandip’s coaching, this initial contribution will start to help fulfill Sandip’s original goal of giving back to his high school alma mater to develop the next generation of speech and debate talent.” She was right - the students went on to win multiple events in the Spring of 2025!
PESH now issues the "Sandip J. Gupta Award of Excellence" as part of its annual speech & debate tournament, as described by the PESH coach:
Our community lost a beloved friend, alumni, and judge when Sandip Gupta unexpectedly passed away in February 2025. You probably know Sandip from his big smile and warm energy. He also regularly judged TFA and UIL tournaments and was the Assistant Director of the MBA Extemp Round Robin, which has now been renamed in his honor. Sandip competed in Speech & Debate for Plano East Sr. High in the early 2000s, and then UT in the years that followed, and has stayed connected to the community since. Sandip's commitment to and support of our community continues after his passing, with a charitable portfolio in his will designating our team as a recipient of a significant donation.
In honor of our friend, we will be awarding the Sandip Gupta Award of Excellence to the Extemper in the final rounds of extemp who has the lowest cumulative ranks across the tournament. The tiebreaker is ranks in the final round, following the procedure used at the NSDA National Tournament. We are grateful to have Sandip's family judging at our tournament and presenting this award at the awards ceremony.
Learn more about the team at https://bit.ly/PESHSpeechDebate.
How to Donate
How to Donate
If you would like to contribute to the PESH Speech and Debate team so that the students may grow their speaking and debating skills on the national scene for years to come, you can donate to the PESH Booster Club (a registered 501(c)3, EIN 82-3319549) through Zelle or Paypal to eastsidesdbooster@gmail.com OR, write a check to "Plano Eastside Speech Booster Club" and mail it to the following address:
Plano East Senior High School
Attn: Madi Gackenbach, Speech & Debate
3000 Los Rios Blvd, Plano, TX 75074
(Memo: In Honor of Sandip) See here for more details.
This plaque sits above the doorway of the PESH Speech and Debate room. If you're from the South, you know the source of good luck it provides ... clear eyes, full heart, can't lose.
MBA Southern Bell Extemp round robin
MBA Southern Bell Extemp round robin
Sandip served as the Assistant Director for the Montgomery Bell Academy Southern Bell Forum National Extemporaneous Speaking Round Robin for over a decade. The tournament has been renamed in his honor. Learn more at bit.ly/MBAExtempRoundRobin.
(In 2024, Sandip received an honorary award from the tournament committee for his Exceptional Leadership administering the tournament. (Pictured here with colleagues and friends Rhonda, Adam and Jason.))
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse