At the Waco Convention Center, students from TAPPS-participating schools competed in the annual Academic and Speech State Championships from March 24th-26th. Among a group of Eagle competitors, three St. Thomas students, Peter Bryant (’25), Mario Salinas (’25), and Zacariah Hart (’26), came back to Houston with first-place titles.

These three young men claimed victories in Literary Criticism, where Hart placed first, Spanish Language for Salinas’s win, and Persuasive Speaking for Bryant. The championship spanned just a few days, but the preparation for the final competition lasted months.

“I prepared for the academic competitions by reading the required materials and by taking practice tests,” Hart said. “At the competition, I spent about six hours in and out of tests. Ultimately, the competition shaped out well, and I was very happy with my preparation and performance.”

Hart also placed fifth in Spanish Language, joining fellow Eagles Roberto Pacini (’25, 3rd place) and Salinas with placements to celebrate. He also came fourth in science and third in ready writing.

“I am overall very satisfied with my performance at TAPPS this year and look forward to competing next year,” Hart shared. “I feel like my hard work has paid off and that I have made St. Thomas and my coach, Ms. Mundell [English Teacher], proud.”

Hart made sure not to let his well-deserved celebrations get in the way of his other responsibilities, representing the school’s values of goodness, discipline, and knowledge. Some celebrate their wins with a victory lap; he celebrated, fittingly, with academics.

“I had been working on homework at a table when Peter Bryant approached me and told me that I had won,” he said. “I was immediately ecstatic and walked to the area where the scores were posted to check for myself. Upon seeing that I had won, I texted my parents before returning to my homework. I was very excited about my victory, but I tried to stay focused on my work so that I could complete all of it before returning to school.”

Hart’s commitment to academic excellence was evident in both his preparation and his reaction to his victory. And he wasn’t the only Eagle making a mark at the championship—Peter Bryant’s performance in Persuasive Speaking added another impressive chapter to St. Thomas’s legacy in speech and debate.

Bryant’s first-place win in Persuasive Speaking is his second victory in the category, having previously claimed the title as a freshman.

“This brackets a very impressive TAPPS Speech run for him,” Speech & Debate coach Darrell Yarbrough said.

Bryant is also President of the speech and debate club, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Zachary Bryant (’21), who was a State Contender in Duet Acting during his time at St. Thomas.

“Speaking at St. Thomas has been a long-time thing for me and my family,” Peter said. “It has helped me so much with self-confidence and mental clarity. The speech and debate team is really something special.”

For Bryant, the Persuasive Speaking victory represented more than just a title.

“It was an exciting end to my time at STH debate,” he said. “I remember distinctly winning the State Championship in the same event my freshman year. At the time, I had seen a St. Thomas senior who was really dominant in their respective events appear deeply affected because their time at St. Thomas was coming to an end. At the time, I didn’t understand why it mattered. I get it now.”

With lasting memories and hard-fought victories, the Eagles had an impressive performance all-around at this year’s TAPPS Academic and Speech State Championships. These scholars proved once again the strength of St. Thomas’s academic and speech programs while representing the dedication, integrity, and knowledge that defines a Man of St. Thomas.