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One of the nation's oldest high school speech and debate programs seeks community support to expand competition opportunities.
One of the nation's oldest high school speech and debate programs seeks community support to expand competition opportunities.
REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands High School is home to one of California's top-ranked speech and debate teams. Founded in 1900, the award-winning Redlands Speech and Debate program predates the National Speech & Debate Association, established in 1925.
The team has a history of success at the Citrus Belt Speech Region Championships, including the region's longest consecutive winning streak. So far this season, it has earned 32 awards, including first-place finishes in eight categories: Novice Public Forum, Open Parliamentary Debate, Open Congressional Debate, Novice Impromptu, Novice Dramatic Interpretation, Open Impromptu, Open Program Oral Interpretation and Open Original Prose and Poetry.
This week, the team is seeking community support at its annual showcase on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. at Grace Mullen Auditorium.
In addition to competing in Citrus Belt Speech Region league events and state qualifiers each spring, students can participate in optional tournaments and local competitions offering scholarships and prizes.
Through speech and debate, students explore societal issues while developing skills in research, writing, listening, critical thinking and public speaking.
Team members say the program has had a lasting impact on their lives, helping them build confidence and connections.
"I would say that speech has made me a lot more confident as a person, and it's impacted my high school life by allowing to make many more connections, because it's very much a community, and a community that I am forever grateful that I had the luck to join," said David Casey, one of the team's current spontaneous speaking captains.
Former team members have gone on to attend universities including Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, UCLA, MIT, Cornell and Yale.
The team hopes to build on its competitive success by raising funds to expand opportunities for students to participate in tournaments beyond the region.
"Increased funding makes Speech more accessible for everyone in the program, especially those who couldn't otherwise afford to compete at far away tournaments," said Elena Zhang, the team's co-president.
Zhang said the team hopes to participate in prestigious national tournaments and invitationals, including competitions at UC Berkeley.
The community is invited to watch award-winning speeches at the Nov. 12 showcase. Tickets are $5, with proceeds benefiting the Redlands High School Speech Boosters, a nonprofit organization that supports the program.
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