On November 3-5, 2022, Horace High School was named champions of North Dakota State Congress! Congratulations to Nadir Mohamed, Ethan Frisch, Levi Gorden, Griffin Terras, Veda Voegele, Asia Traylor, Maggie Dick, Jordan Graves, Amour Mach, Keagen Kratcha, Isabel Flanagan, Nora Aeilts, Jayla Ridout, Charlotte Lovejoy, Isaak Mohamed, Bailey Marsh, Lucy Scherbenske, Ezra Powell, Taylor Olson, Flint Dignan, and Ally Huynh!

If you’re anything like me, you might be wondering What is Congress?? I learned that Congress is an academic activity that replicates debates of United States Congress. I talked to a student here at Horace, Veda Voegele. She said, “It is a great way to build writing, speaking, and research skills.”  Congress is coordinated by NSDA. This makes Congress part of Speech and Debate. The Congress season is from September, ending in early November. Horace competes in all 3 North Dakota tournaments. They also compete in Minnesota and South Dakota.

Veda Voegele is in House 1, the highest house in Congress, besides Senate. When I asked her if she was expecting to win, she exclaimed, “Honestly, yes. I firmly believed that with our level of talent, we had the potential to take home the championship, but what solidified it for me was the work ethic.” Veda goes on to say how proud she is about the wonderful speakers we have on our Congress team. When I asked what’s the most challenging thing during a tournament, Veda says it’s staying motivated. “Amberg was very vocal about ‘preparing for season 2’ to attack and get ahead in speaking order when others were lazy.” Veda says.

Congress is very rewarding to the people on the team. With all the frustration and late nights leading up to the tournament, Veda says it’s all worth it when you win. And once again, congratulations to Mr. Amberg and the Congress team!