Debating for the Win!
November 8, 2022
The speech and debate team after winning the Nevada Tournament. Left to right: Matalie Wilson, Isaac Line, Addison Zittle, Mckenzie Jenkins, Keith Nolan, Cooper Zumwalt, Nico Jenkins, Madi Ellis, Natalie Nolan, Emma Pearson, Ayden Owens, Ivy Wehemyer, Leroy Barker, Kris Hunter, Preston Hicks, Colton Hicks. (Photo taken by Stephanie Dunham)
On October 15th, the Fair Grove High School Speech and Debate team headed to Nevada for the first speech tournament of the year. This season, they have many goals and hopes to excel.
Over the years, the speech and debate team has become more popular. For those who don’t know, the purpose of the speech and debate team is to learn how to public speak, get out of your comfort zone, and gain confidence. They prepare speech papers, and perform in front of judges, and the paper can range from different topics such as informational, dramatic, humorous and more.
The tournament in Nevada happened on October 15, 2022. Speech and Debate teacher Leroy Barker shared how the team did, “The students did very well in Nevada. They took first place in five of the ten events and were in the top three in the others. We actually had multiple students finish in the top six for every event.”
The good results of this competition did not come without a price Barker explained, “The students prepared very well for the tournament. They practiced for weeks, showing me their progress with each event along the way. While the tournament was small, the team really brought strong performances that would have challenged competitors on any scale.”
Speech and debate had a couple national qualifiers last year, but Barker is hopeful that they will send upwards of six students to Nationals this season.
Senior Cooper Zumwalt expressed his goals for this season, “A goal I have for this year is to get top three in an event at state, and qualify for nationals. I had a lot of fun at both of these events last year, and I would love to go again!”
The next speech tournament will be held November 12th at Marion C Early. The team is hoping to place well, and to ultimately win. Kris Hunter (12) explained, “My personal goal is to picket fence again, which is when you get the best rating in all your rounds.”
The 2022-2023 team include, Cooper Zumwalt (12), Nico Jenkins (11), Addison Zittle (11), Aidyn Owings (9), Alex Kepes (12), Alyssa Faubion (10), Ayden Teaster (11), Emma Pearson (10), Ivy Weymeyer (11), Kaitlyn Holdt (12), Karlee Swan (10), Keith Nolan (9) Kenzie Jenkins (9), Kris Hunter (12), Luke Engel (11), Mackenzie Cavin (11), Madi Ellis (12), Natalie Nolan (12), Preston Hicks (9), and Colton Hicks (9). All of these students have high hopes for a successful season.