Speech & Debate

Forensics, more commonly known as speech and debate, is considered one of the most rewarding and beneficial educational activities available to students.  Skills dramatically improve in areas as diverse as research, writing, critical thinking, presentation, time management, and interpersonal communication.  Forensics helps students develop confidence in front of an audience as well as in interpersonal communication which will become beneficial in all aspects of the student’s life.

Forensics also helps develop academic skills essential to high school and collegiate level work.  Besides developing presentation skills, students learn to conduct academic research, think critically through problems, listen analytically to arguments, understand current social and political issues, better appreciate literature, and develop writing skills.  These skills not only benefit students in academic situations, but also will provide an advantage when students go into the working world. Forensics students develop enhanced professional skills due to the fact that all persons, in all walks of life, must speak and defend ideas in public. 

Students who join the Speech and Debate team will have the opportunity to compete in various events at tournaments. This provides students with the chance to shine in an academic environment and to win awards for intellect.  Through competition, objectives become clear, progress is easy to measure, and students are often pushed to do work beyond what they thought possible. This is all done through extensive practice sessions, long bus rides, and off-time at tournaments.

Events are divided into two categories - Individual Events and Debate. Individual Events range from Original Oratory, which is the delivery of a memorized speech that is the original work of the students; Solo Acting, Duet Acting, Prose Interpretation, and Poetry Interpretation, which requires students to select, analyze and perform pieces of literature; and Extemporaneous Speaking which allow students limited time to prepare a speech on an assigned topic dealing with a current event.  Finally, Debate presents a resolution to students and requires them to either defend or attack the resolution in direct confrontation with other students.

2010 State Debate Champs

4th Place at 2010 TAPPS Academic State