photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence school district

Anwen Williams

A Free State High School speech and debate team member has earned the highest degree in the National Speech and Debate Association Honor Society, according to a news release Tuesday from the Lawrence school district.

The student, Anwen Williams, a junior, has earned Premier Distinction, an achievement attained by fewer than 3% of NSDA members prior to graduation.

“This milestone is a celebration of the hundreds of hours Williams has spent preparing, practicing, and competing to hone communication and leadership skills,” the release said.

According to Free State speech and debate coach Kelly Thompson, Williams is a two-time state finalist in informative (2022) and international extemporaneous speaking, aka IX (2023); an NSDA national qualifier in informative (2022) and IX (2023); a member of the school’s 4-speaker debate regional runner-up team (2023-2024); the winner of 13 tournament championships in the 2024 season, to date; and undefeated in IX in 2024.

Williams is the second Free State speech and debate team member to earn Premier Distinction this year. Senior Sophie Racy earned NSDA’s highest honor degree in December, as the Journal-World reported.