Upper Schoolers Make Strides in Speech and Debate
By Aya Maruyama, Upper School Student
Every Thursday morning, an hour before the regular school day begins, 18 students gather in the freshman English room at 8 a.m. sharp for an elective class. Now, why would any sane high schooler sacrifice an hour of sleep for more school?
Well, these students are finding that their weekly Speech and Debate class is worth the effort! The several dozen upper schoolers who have taken this class in recent years have learned everything from effective research skills to eloquence under pressure. And the current students believe these skills are valuable now and will also aid them in the college application process.
“It is really neat how this class is open to all grade levels. I like the diversity,” says junior Sidney Fox. “I think everyone should at least try the class. It has valuable skills that will be helpful in anything you do.”
In fact, teacher Ted Bartelstone referred to the president of New York University, John Sexton, who commented during an interview that, of several factors that might determine whether a student excels in college, participation in high school forensics and debate is the best indicator.
Bartelstone himself participated in a speech and debate course during high school, learning skills that he has consistently applied in his 35-year career as a lawyer. A few years ago, he proposed the idea of a speech and debate course to Upper School administrators and, upon approval, started a club during students’ free time. When the new school schedule was introduced, the club became a dedicated class. Bartelstone is now a member of the Coaches Association of Speech and Debate, representing Principia as the first private school in St. Louis County to join this association.
In November, class members participated in three weekend tournaments at various schools around St. Louis. Based on their performance, five students were inducted into the National Forensics League, or NFL, having attained a score of 25 points and bringing Principia’s number of currently active NFL members to 11 overall.
One of these active members is senior Kevin Ward, who is not currently enrolled in the class but has been participating in speech and debate events since his freshman year. Kevin was recently inducted into the highest level of the NFL, with over 250 points. With every debate round receiving three points for participation and an extra three for winning, it’s obvious that Kevin has done his fair share of speaking and debating! Kevin’s forte is in extemporaneous competition, where the topic is not known beforehand. Participants enter the room and are given a choice of three current events topics, with just 30 minutes to prepare a speech on the topic of their choice. As he applies to engineering schools for next year, Kevin expects his strong background in communication and speech to be useful in the application process.