New Jersey Drama and Forensics League Tournament Champion
The New Jersey Drama and Forensics League recently concluded its last tournament of the season on February 24, 2024. The league — commonly known as NJDFL — is a competitive and performance-based league featuring various categories under the umbrella of speech and drama. Students from high schools across the state participate in the league, showcasing their skills in a variation of 1 to 12 categories in an all‑day tournament.
For two students from College Achieve Greater Asbury Park, Amaya Brewington (grade 10) and Bianca Moseley (grade 10), the tournament marked the end of another year of hard work. Both students have been participating in the league since 2022, using this platform to develop their performance and public speaking skills, as well as to network with other students throughout the state of New Jersey.
This season, Amaya and Bianca competed collaboratively in the Reader’s Theatre category with their rendition of “American Tet” by Lydia Stryk. Additionally, Amaya independently presented an excerpt from “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson for the Oral Interpretation category — which allows performers to bring their favorite prose or poetry to life. Her performance of “Speak” was especially noteworthy, showcasing her exceptional development throughout the season. Amaya spent week after week diligently improving her performance since November, analyzing her evaluations from tournaments at Kingsway Regional High School, Washington Township High School, and Mainland Regional High School, and honing her skills. All her efforts were building toward her last performance of the season: The final championship tournament at Raritan High School in Hazlet, New Jersey.
At Raritan, Amaya gave her strongest performances of the season, a feat which paid off as, at the awards ceremony, Amaya was presented with a bronze trophy on behalf of College Achieve. This trophy is a testament to hard work and diligence this season. Amaya is very proud of her efforts, and so are Mr. Peter Lyden and Ms. Lauren DiSabato, College Achieve’s NJDFL coaches. Amaya is already excitedly talking about her plans for participating in the league next year.