The LHS forensics national qualifiers are, clockwise from lower left, senior Alex Hyler, sophomore Amelia Weil, sophomore Hannah Lusk and senior Carina Fowler.

When most people hear the word “forensics,” thoughts turn to investigating a crime scene. But that’s not always the case.

Lawrence High is sending four students to the National Forensics League’s national tournament to compete in debate, public speaking and interpretation.

“This year has been a phenomenal year,” said Kim O’Brien, who has been the forensics coach at LHS for 18 years. “We’ve brought home more awards, more trophies, more everything this year than we ever have.”

LHS seniors Alex Hyler and Carina Fowler, along with sophomores Hannah Lusk and Amelia Weil, will compete at the national level in four categories.

Fowler qualified under humorous interpretation for the second consecutive year after performing her version of the movie “Drop Dead Gorgeous.”

“I definitely learned a lot from being there last year,” she said. “What you really need to work on, I think, for nationals is your voices. They need to be really strong and they need to be precise and clear.”

The movie takes place in Minnesota, and Fowler channeled a political figure to perfect her northern accent.

“I hope I make Sarah Palin proud,” she said.

Hyler double-qualified during the regional competition, but had to choose between the domestic extemporaneous category or Congress in the House of Representatives category.

“I’m going to end up going in the House for Congress, so I’m pretty much going to act like a representative the whole week I’m there and we’re going to debate legislation,” she said.

Students are given 44 pieces of legislation to research and will talk out the pieces with other students. Although Hyler is a senior, she’s technically a novice at forensics. She had participated in debate, but forensics let her share her personality and opinions.

“It has a lot more freedom than the debate event ever did,” Hyler said. “Since it is my first year, I’m just honored to be able to go.”

Sophomore Hannah Lusk is the first Lincoln-Douglas debater that O’Brien has coached.

“It was really cool because she didn’t really know what to tell me to do,” Lusk said.

Lincoln-Douglas debates are one-on-one and focus more on philosophy than the standard debate style.

“You argue about what’s right and wrong in that situation,” she said. “You have values and criteria that you uphold.”

The resolution she will argue at nationals is “Military conscription is unjust.”

“I have to write two cases and find some philosophers that support what I think,” Lusk said. “I really like to argue.”

Amelia Weil, a sophomore, qualified for the competition with her dramatic interpretation of a selection from “Out of the Dust,” a play about the Dust Bowl.

“It’s just one thing after another after another of depressing things happening,” Weil said.

She was happy to qualify because she will be living outside of the country next year and wanted her forensics season to last as long as possible.

“I like the acting, which is kind of the point unless you’re a speaker,” Weil said. “I suppose there’s also a secret part of me that really likes the competition.”

The girls will be joining LHS seniors Doug Speight and Andres Ramos, who qualified for nationals as a debate team, at the competition from June 14-19 in Birmingham, Ala.