Course offerings

So you're interested in speech and debate!  Awesome!  We believe that there is no other program which prepares you for the levels of academic rigor that you will face in later years of high school and college.  The critical thinking, research, and writing components of these courses necessitate hard work and dedication.  For many, this is the first interaction with speech and debate.  It is likely that at some point, you may hit a brick wall and find the work challenging and difficult.  As the teachers, we are more concerned with how you interact with these brick walls and how you overcome them.   I hope that you will greatly consider our program!

There are two courses a newcomer to the program can take:
  • Public Speaking I Honors/Oral Interp
  • Debate I Honors
​Each of these classes can build each year (e.g. Debate II Honors, Public Speaking III).
While there is a course description of each course available in career cruising, hopefully this will give you a bit more information and help you make the best decision.
Public Speaking Honors/Oral Interp
  • This is a performance based course where students will be exposed to different forms of literature and other genres.
  • Students will develop a portfolio of performances.  They will receive feedback from peers and teachers as they develop.  Some of these performances will be memorized and others will be prepared readings.
  • If you have an interest in theater, this is a great way to hone your talents while you compete for time on the stage.
  • This course does provide an introduction to the speech team and does allow you to try out traveling with the team.
  • You would take this course if you did not take professional communications at the junior high or have yet to earn a high school speech credit.
  • This is one of only three honors elective courses (with honors debate also being one of them).  This provides an incredible boost to your GPA.  This boost is earned because of the nature of the coursework.
Debate I Honors
  • You are only allowed to take this course if you have previously received a speech credit (professional communications) either at the junior high or at the high school.  You could also take a professional communications course concurrently.
  • This is a survey course that will expose you to the world of competitive speech and debate.  We will cover all aspects of competitive speech and debate leading to the ultimate goal of allowing you to choose a specialization.
  • This course is your introduction to competitive speech and debate and affords you the opportunity to travel with us to select tournaments.
  • This is one of only three honors elective courses (with honors speech also being one of them).  This provides an incredible boost to your GPA.  This boost is earned because of the nature of the coursework.