Ten eighth-graders from St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin School in Whitehall Borough helped the school to win a recent Southwestern Pennsylvania Forensics League South section competition at Bishop Canevin High School.

Eighteen teams—from public and private schools—participated in the event, a league final.

Six St. Gabriel's individuals earned spots in the event's all-star competition, also held at Bishop Canevin, where the Gators earned first- and third-place finishes in the Poetry category, a second-place finish in the Declamation category and a fourth-place finish in the Drama category. Eighth-grader Nico Popa won the Poetry all-star contest for the second straight year.

St. Gabe's has won the South's final team competition in six of the past seven years, according to Coach Marietta D'Alessandro, with 2011 being the exception when the Gators placed second.

"We're pretty proud of our kids and their lack of fear in speaking in public," D'Alessandro said. "Although, some do have a slight nervousness before tournaments."

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