Mount Pleasant High School senior, Anthony Orellana, has earned the National Speech and Debate Association’s Academic All-American award. Of the more than 141,000 student members of the Association, fewer than 1,000 students earn the Academic All-American Award every year. To date, only eleven team members from MPHS have ever earned this prestigious honor.

The Academic All-American award recognizes students who have completed at least five semesters of high school, earned the degree of Superior Distinction in the National Speech and Debate Association Honor Society (a total of 750 or more merit points), have at least a 3.7 GPA, and have demonstrated outstanding character and leadership.

Orellana is a four-year member of Mount Pleasant High School Speech and Debate. He competes in Cross-Examination Debate (CX), Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD), Congressional Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking. He is the 2022 UIL state silver medalist in CX, the 2022 UIL State Gold Gavel Top Speaker, a 2022 Texas Forensics Association State quarterfinalist in CX, and an NSDA National award winner in Policy Debate. Orellana is the MPHS National Honor Society Vice President, Student Council Vice President, competes in UIL Current Events, and is a member of Future Business Leaders of America. He is the son of Vicente Arroyo and Onelia Orellana.

Photo: NSDA Academic All American, Anthony Orellana