Stories & News

Izayah Christopher, a recent graduate of Battle High School, was named the William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year by the National Speech and Debate Association.

"It's overwhelming," Medlin said. "It's absolutely overwhelming. It really solidifies for me I have not wasted 57 years.” Though Medlin's retiring from Brentwood High, she's still going to coach the speech and debate team.

Being chosen for induction is the highest honor that any high school speech and debate coach can receive. Tidwell is a six-diamond coach of the National Speech and Debate Association.

“They are the hardest working students I've ever had the opportunity to work with,” Facer said. “They just support each other like nobody's business. They just love each other so much. To qualify for nationals, you have to be in the top two or three in our region.”

A World Schools Debate on Environmental Responsibility, nationally ranked speech and debate students from around Montana will make a case as to whether investors should be held legally responsible for the environmental impact of the companies they invest in.

Chapel Hill High School is celebrating the continued success of its Speech and Debate Team, with students earning recognition at both the state and national levels.

The speech and debate teams made history after taking all three qualifying spots in Public Forum Debate during the National Speech and Debate Association Regional Qualifier.

Six Riverton High School (RHS) Speech and Debate students are heading to the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national tournament in Richmond, Va., this June. The tournament hosts about 7,000 of the top speech and debate students across the nation.

Coaches describe a whirlwind of preparation, from honing persuasive speeches to mastering 30-minute extemporaneous debates on topics drawn at random.

In the world of Speech and Debate, few honors carry as much significance as the Academic All-American Honors. Turner was awarded this honor by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA).

In more than two decades as a speech and debate coach, Zach Prax believes there really is no discussion about where credit should be directed when looking at the success of his student participants.

Caterpillar is investing $300,000 in a year-long speech and debate program for nearly 400 Peoria students, supporting competitions and transportation.

Cooper Daniel, a senior, serves as a state ambassador for speech and debate in Wyoming. He received an Ambassador Award and was also named an Academic All-American by the National Speech & Debate Association.

The Medina High School team also received two prestigious team honors: the Excellence in Debate Award and the Excellence in Coaching Award, recognizing both the students’ performance and the strength of the program’s leadership.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) spoke on the Senate floor in support of his bipartisan resolution with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) recognizing National Speech and Debate Education Day. Since 2016, Grassley and Coons have led the effort each year to mark National Speech and Debate Education Day in the Senate.

Watertown High School senior Sonny Rader has secured a position at the National Speech and Debate Tournament following a championship performance at the Northern District qualifier.

Through all the challenges, Muir's perseverance paid off. She recently qualified for the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Richmond, Va., where she will represent Idaho on June 12 shortly after graduation. "Qualifying for nationals has been one of my biggest dreams since I joined speech and debate," she said.

Two dedicated students from Conway High School have reached an elite academic milestone, demonstrating the power of focused effort and robust educational support in our local community.

Two Milbank debaters made the stage at the National Qualifying Tournament for South Dakota’s two districts  in Sioux Falls.

Several team members have qualified for the 2026 National Speech and Debate Association (NDSA) tournament in Richmond, Virginia as a result of their standings at the NDSA Northern Ohio District Competition over the weekend.

After attending 12 regular-season speech tournaments the Mercer High School Speech Team spent the last 10 days focusing on solidifying its roster in preparation for the “speech playoffs”

Francis Howell Central senior Adeline Law was recently chosen to receive the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation national scholarship. She is the speech chair and previous president for the speech and debate team, attending the National Speech and Debate Association nationals in 2025,

Rossford High School senior Justynne Jones has made school history by becoming the first student to qualify for the National Speech & Debate Association’s national tournament.

Big Horn High School seniors Noah Maurhoff and Emmie Rambur have earned speech and debate Academic All-American status.

The National Speech & Debate Association is honoring Bullard High School for 50 years of competing at the country’s biggest forensics tournament.

Holy Trinity Catholic High School students are continuing a nearly 20-year-old school tradition after qualifying for a national competition.

Carrollton High School’s Speech and Debate Assistant Coach Alison Hibbard was named the Georgia Southern Peach district’s National Speech and Debate Association Coach of the Year. 

The Bandera High School speech and debate team competed last week at the National Speech and Debate Association district tournament, a national qualifying event featuring competitors from Class 4A, 5A and 6A schools.

Adam Biegler has been named an Academic All-American by the National Speech and Debate Association, a prestigious recognition awarded to students who demonstrate excellence both in the classroom and in competitive speech and debate.

Last year, two Rossville students qualified for the prestigious National Speech & Debate Association National Tournament. Coach Jason Newhouser hopes to see that success continue.

Bethany Christian hosted a speech tournament on Saturday and placed second as a team to Plymouth High School.The team competes next at the Northeast Indiana District Speech Tournament at Plymouth next Saturday.

By being a part of the Speech and Debate team, I was able to hone in on my public speaking skills, gain confidence and nurture my competitive drive. NSDA truly feels like home.

Lily Doud and Carter Knuesel became the 16th and 17th Cotter students ever to earn the prestigious National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Academic All-American (AAA) Award this past December.

In his 22 years as a speech and debate coach, that’s what he enjoys most about the job, the knowledge that he is helping these students reach their full potential with public speaking and getting them out of their comfort zone. It’s a skill that applies to every aspect of life.

“Premier Distinction to me has been like a final stamp to commend all the accomplishments I’ve built within the last four years – the friendships, my voice and my passion to speak,” Vo said. “Speech and Debate has genuinely evolved into my family, and I could never imagine my high school career without it.”

The Bulldog debaters will be in Sioux Falls and Brandnon from  February 20-21 to determine who will compete in the 2026 National Speech and Debate Tournament to be held in Richmond, Virginia from June 14-19.  

While the official season has come to an end for the team, several members are pursuing additional speaking time by competing in the Montana East District National Speech & Debate Qualifier Tournament on February 13th and 14th in Billings. Top rankings at that tournament would earn them a trip to the National Speech & Debate Tournament to be held in Richmond, Virginia, in June.

The tournament began at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony followed by three rounds of Big Questions Debate discussing the topic — “Resolved: Moral systems rooted in theism are preferable to non-theistic moral systems.

Chadwick Boseman played on the basketball team during his senior year. He also competed in Speech and Debate in the National Speech and Debate Association and was placed eighth in Original Oratory at the 1995 National Tournament.

Two Arkansas high school students will represent the state on the national stage alongside senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton at an upcoming event.

The highlight of the day came from freshman Libby Daniels, who captured 6th place in House and officially qualified to represent North Lamar at the NSDA National Tournament in Virginia next June. As a first-year competitor, Daniels’ achievement marks an outstanding milestone for both her and the program.

Adding to those memories was the incredible accomplishment of Elijah Cox qualifying for the second year in a row to compete at the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament.

Her extracurriculars helped her realize the more she puts herself out there and meets new people, the more opportunities are brought to her.

She competed at the state level five times and the national level once, and said those experiences developed her skills of public speaking and critical thinking.

In addition to her academic achievements, Montenegro co-founded the Speech and Debate Club at Bel Air High School during her junior year, leading the team to qualify for the National Speech and Debate Association in its first year of competition, according to YISD.

Fort Atkinson High Schooler, Elijah Szabo, earned the National Speech & Debate Association’s Academic All American award in debate.

Heath praised the entire team’s preparation leading up to the event. “The fact that our younger debaters stepped up and earned spots on the regional lineup says a lot about the future of Panther debate,” she said. 

Lil Corbett qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association'sNational Tournament in congressional debate following a qualifying tournament Dec. 12-13 at Pequot Lakes High School.

Competing at nationals is an incredible opportunity for students to perform on a national stage and connect with peers from across the country who share their passion for speech.

With a lot of success and the awards to show for it, Kuergeleis offered to share her top five tips on how to be successful in speaking, no matter the event. 1. Practice Makes Perfect 2. Try, Try, Try! 3. Placings Aren’t Everything 4. Use Your Voice 5. Add Your Personal Flair

She is named Academic All-American by the National Speech and Debate Association to the top 1 percent of U.S. debaters for excellence in civic discourse and academia, a two-time national qualifier and top-50 nationally in World Schools Debate.

Debate clubs: Debate encourages critical thinking, research skills, and public speaking. The National Speech & Debate Association offers resources and competition opportunities.

“I wouldn’t be the person I am today without this team,” Block said. “I’ve met people from all over the country who have given me connections that will last a lifetime. It’s taught me so much about myself, learning how to be more reflective and intentional with my voice. This team has given me mentors and peers I’ve looked up to, and now, I hope to do the same for others.”

Happy Valley High School has been in existence for a century. With such a long history, it is a challenge for a student to be the first to accomplish some honor, but Kaelyn Adams accomplished it. The senior recently became the first to be selected as a National Speech & Debate Association Academic All American.

Hallsville ISD student Zoey Davis earned the All American award Nov. 11 from the National Speech & Debate Association, school officials said. 

Fewer than 1% of all 141,000 student members of the association earn the award each year, said J. Scott Wunn, executive director of the association.

Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is one of the National Speech & Debate Association’s (NSDA) 2024-2025 Leading Chapter Awards. 

Every year, the NSDA recognizes one school from over 100 competition districts for outstanding student participation in speech and debate.

Logansport High School’s speech team was one of four schools in the state of Indiana to be recognized with a 2024-25 Leading Chapter Award by the National Speech & Debate Association.

Hinsdale Central High School is the only school in Illinois to be recognized by the National Speech & Debate Association as one of the top 100 schools in the country for having the largest number of new degrees in the group’s Honor Society.

Port Washington High School’s chapter of the National Speech & Debate Association recently received a 2024-2025 Leading Chapter Award. The award recognizes one school from more than 100 competition districts for outstanding student participation in speech and debate. 

Congratulations are in order for our local high school speech teams that have been given the 2024-2025 Leading Chapter Awards.

After nearly three decades of helping students find their voices, Rossville High School's Jason Newhouser has been named Indiana's Outstanding Speech and Debate Educator for 2025–26 by the Indiana Schools' Speech and Debate Association.

Speech and debate builds confidence, improves communication, increases critical thinking skills, boosts classroom performance, and better prepares students for college and career.

“Leading Chapters go above and beyond to advance speech and debate in their school and empower their students to use their voice. These schools understand the life-changing benefits of this activity and serve as an inspiration to speech and debate teams across the country.”

The Competitive Speech and Debate Team (CSDT) at Carlmont High School gives students a space to develop their public speaking, critical thinking, and leadership skills through frequent practices and competitive tournaments.

The high schoolers have each completed at least 100 hours of community service, which has earned them the National Speech and Debate Association’s “Speaking and Service Award.” Less than 1% of the organization’s members have achieved this.

High school speech and debate, organized and run by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), opens up various opportunities for students to develop academic skills, whether on the speech or debate side of the club.

Jefferson City High School made the National Speech and Debate Association's list of top 100 schools for last year.

Perry Superintendent Nate Stutz praised the achievement, stating, “We are incredibly proud of our Speech & Debate students and coaches for earning this national recognition. To be ranked among the top 100 programs in the country is a testament to their talent, dedication, and hard work. The skills our students develop through Speech & Debate, such as confidence, collaboration, and the ability to think critically, will serve them well in every part of their lives.”

A local student has been awarded a national award for service to his community and participation in speech and debate activities.

Over the summer, professor Chris Outzen said he attended the 2025 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament Expo to recruit new members. 

The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) has announced the student winners of the National Speaking and Service Award. The NSDA Honor Society recognizes students for participation in speech and debate activities. 

What started as just a fun after-school activity for senior Kooper Newberry has turned into earning the title of Academic All-American through the National Speech and Debate Association. Only 2% of speech and debate students earn the prestigious award.

When he started at the school in 2015, he incorporated debate class into the curriculum for all students. This had associated benefits as three years later, the students’ math and English Language Arts test scores tripled.

Euguene Armstrong, honored in the 2025 Gold Star Hall Ceremony, was known in his yearbook as the "soap box orator!" He was an active student and member of Ames High School’s Debate Club, Hi-Y Club, National Forensic League, National Thespian Society...