Millburn sophomore, Chase Harrison, finished in sixth place out of 255 competitors in the Extemporaneous Speech category at the National Forensics League National Championships in Indianapolis.

For the category of Extemporaneous Speech, the student is given a topic on any domestic or interational policy or current event, which he or she has 30 minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech.

In the championships, which took place between June 10 and 15, Harrison was asked, "Should we be concerned about 2012 being the most negative campaign in our nation’s history?

The event was televised on the internet and members of the Millburn Forensics team, as well as other faculty members and students, gathered to watch at the High School.

Recently, Harrison finished second place at the Tournament of Champions in Extemporaneous Speaking held at Northwestern University in Chicago in May, an invite-only event recognized as one of the most competitive tournaments of the year. Chase also finished second at the New Jersey State Championships, and won the Yale Invitational early this year.

The Millburn Forensics Team is one of the largest in the school, with nearly one hundred active members. It is coached by Millburn Social Studies Teacher Michael Paul. Students compete throughout the year in a variety of speech and debate activities at local and national tournaments throughout the country.

The team has been recognized as one of the best in the state, finishing sixth overall at the State Championships this year, and has found success at a variety of national tournaments around the country. Students interested in the team can come to their first meeting in early September next school year.