April 14, 2020

Dripping Springs High School senior John Mihaly has been selected as an Academic All-American by the National Speech and Debate Association.

The Academic All-American award recognizes high school students who have earned the degree of Superior Distinction in debate (750 points); completed at least five semesters of high school; demonstrated outstanding character and leadership; and earned a GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent). This coveted award recognizes academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence. From more than 141,000 student members fewer than 1,000 students earn the Academic All-American award. This award places John among the top 1 percent of all student members of the National Speech and Debate Association in the country. 

John Mihaly is a four-year member of the DSHS Speech and Debate Team, primarily competing in Lincoln Douglas Debate. He has qualified for both UIL and TFA (Texas Forensics Association) state tournaments, and he has advanced to the elimination rounds of almost every tournament in which he has competed this year.

Other DSHS students who have been selected as NSDA Academic All-Americans are seniors Christopher Gearing and Campbell Melton and junior Jackson Kaiser.