“You don’t win a debate by suppressing discussion; you win it with a better argument.”
― Frank Sonnenberg

Speech and debate participation is about honing your speaking, thinking, and advocacy skills to find and use your voice to speak life into things that are important. The number one fear in America is public speaking. We literally do for fun what others fear more than death. Our team competes on a local, regional, statewide, and nationwide level throughout the speech and debate season.

The benefits of speech and debate is well documented in scholarly research. Debate teaches useful skills for other academic pursuits and life in general. Most importantly, debaters build confidence from speaking in public and expressing their ideas. Being comfortable as a public speaker is a useful skill in many areas of life from future jobs, interviews, college, etc.

 The benefits of speech and debate are achievable by everyone. The season last most of the school year providing many participation opportunities regardless of their schedule availability, skill level, and desires. Speech and debate students learn the importance of advocacy and staying abreast of major social, political, economic, and international issues in the world. 

 We believe in the power of our words and through a successful school year, we will THINK SPEAK and LISTEN.  My challenge for you this year is to be willing to always try.  Debate is hard but debate is fun and rewarding, too. I will help here to help you along the way!   I encourage you to email me if you have any questions or concerns.  Let’s get pumped for this year!

Who can join?

The club is open to all WCHS students. The informational meeting for the fall will be August 15 after school from 3:35 - 4:15 PM . Our competition season will start in September.

Fees:

Speech and Debate club members pay a one-time fee of $20.00 for national dues and $20.00 each year for local dues. 

Each member will receive a club shirt to wear to club meetings and speech and debate -sponsored events.

How to join: 

Attend the information session at the beginning of the school year or connect with the speech and debate coach, Mrs. Chamiok before or after school

National Speech and Debate Association

UIL Speech and Debate