One of the lesser known electives in high schools around the world is Speech and Debate, an activity where students get the opportunity to speak for what they believe in, and debate pressing issues in today’s society. Speech and Debate is framed around a plethora of different events, in which the speech side tends to be more theatrical and rhetoric based, while debate is purely argumentative. The students who join the academic sport have the opportunity to travel around the country and compete at universities against students from other states, as well as competing in local tournaments at different high schools.
Members of the Speech and Debate team agree that they are a family- and they are always there for one another. A large part of the activity is growing, on both and academic and personal level. Students perform or debate for each other to receive criticism to make their pieces better. The more they practice, the better they get. In fact, students who are in Speech and Debate tend to do better on tough exams such as the SAT or ACT. “My favorite part of Speech and Debate, is training to be the voice for people who do not have one,” sophomore Kennedy Joy Foristall said.
After weeks of hard work and practice, the students are able to compete against other students from different schools. In these competitions, judges rank students in the events and at the end of the tournament, awards are given to those who placed highest in the first three to four rankings. Varsity competitors also have the chance to be on a travel team, which travels around the country competing. “My favorite travel tournament to compete in is Princeton, because I love the campus and the competition is well done and always fair,” senior Faith Kirwan said. Many students on the travel team concur that the best part of travel team is getting to see the beautiful campuses in different states, as well as forming strong friendships and unbreakable bonds with one another.
Overall, Speech and Debate gives students the chance to speak up and speak out for what they believe in. Graduated students who joined the team as seniors regret not joining earlier, and many graduates continue to do it while in college. Speech and Debate opens a forum for students to find their voice, while improving writing skills, and increasing confidence. The team is close knit and extremely supportive, thus creating an environment that is near impossible to leave.
