With the school year getting on a roll, speech and debate is too.

The speech and debate club is starting up again, although this year will look different than years before. With limited options for competition and everything going virtual due to COVID, the group have to make some adaptations. 

All practices and competitions are going to be virtual, but despite the challenges, coach Ms. Franke still has high hopes for her students.

“We want to make sure everyone is working to their fullest potential and learn off each other,” Ms. Franke said. 

Ms. Franke loves that kids get an opportunity to have a voice in their community and debate current issues. Kids from all walks of life get to be included and find something they are interested in to speak about. 

“It’s a place for STEM kids who enjoy critical thinking, history and psychology buffs who love talking and learning from the past, avid readers, theater kids who love acting, activists who want to raise awareness to important topics, or just anyone who wants a place to build their voice,” captain of the debate team Sruthi Ramesh said.

The first speech & debate tournament will take place virtually on Oct. 23-24.

There are many opportunities in speech and debate to learn, meet new people, and find your voice. If you interested in getting involved in speech and debate, you can email the coach Ms. Franke at [email protected]. Tournaments also still need judges so any teachers interested can also email Ms. Franke.