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Speak now: join the new speech and debate team
Speak now: join the new speech and debate team
Ariella Gage '27
Ariella Gage '27
Around Campus Editor
Around Campus Editor
Listen up Louisville students, there is a brand new team on campus! With help from the administration, interest from the students and of course, our dedicated coach and history teacher Ms. Mercer, Louisville’s speech and debate team was born this fall.
“I was hired over the summer to be a history teacher here, and I think that when people saw that I have experience coaching speech and debate, they saw it as an opportunity to help meet the students' interest in having a speech and debate team,” said Ms. Mercer.
As the name suggests, speech and debate is composed of two parts, each with its own divisions. For example, Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate involves two students debating on a morality or justice-based topic, with one side Affirmative and the other Negative. Students prepare several speeches and build a case ahead of time so they can relax on the big day.
In a competition, there are multiple rounds that students can advance to depending on how well they perform in the previous rounds. A few lucky students make it to the semi-final and final rounds. Though competitions are mostly held from September through March, many students practice all year round, with some even participating in summer camps to prepare for the school year ahead.
For those who are unfamiliar with speech and debate, Ms. Mercer compares it to a track-and-field or swim meet, where all students are on the same team but compete in various individual events.
The Royals have already competed in a number of competitions, usually held on Saturdays. In its first year, the speech and debate team is off to a wonderful start. At the recent Tri-County Forensic League Congress Debate Tournament, which took place on Saturday, November 2, Farrah Heidari ’27 won second place and Eden Arefaine ’27 came in third.
Ms. Mercer welcomes everyone to join speech and debate, regardless of your experience and skill level!
“It’s a brand new thing but they’ve been picking up different awards at tournaments already,” said Ms. Mercer, adding that she is “really impressed with our students!”
Beyond being an amazing opportunity to get involved at Louisville and connect with fellow peers, speech and debate helps students cultivate their unique, individual voices. Ms. Mercer welcomes anyone to the team, no matter their skill level or amount of experience, because, she says, “that’s why I’m here.”
Believe it or not, Ms. Mercer once considered herself a nervous public speaker. However, participating in speech and debate in high school helped her develop confidence. Now, it brings her joy to see students she never would have imagined as public speakers fearlessly debating in front of a large crowd.
“Tears of joy have come to my eyes multiple times,” Ms. Mercer shared in reference to her students' performance.
Through countless hours of hard work and many practices, the speech and debate team at Louisville has excelled as students develop their public speaking voices and form bonds with teammates. Though it is a brand new team on campus, speech and debate is off to a wonderful start!
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