Speech and Debate is a combination of public speaking, acting, and arguing all in one competitive activity. In Debate, students work as a team to prove their side of an argument against another team from a different school. Speech and Debate Club is a national competitive activity as students compete throughout the country. 

At Bishop Blanchet, the Speech and Debate club is a whole community, and senior Cate Brewer is someone who has cherished her time with this club, working hard, and including students from all different grades to feel included and Debate to the best of their abilities. 

The team has a fun and competitive year ahead of them, and Brewer likes how the team has already been competing. “We have gone to 3 tournaments, and we have 2-3 more this year,” said Brewer says.

Brewer mentions, “this year, the Speech and Debate Club has been focusing on impromptu speaking” (Impromptu is speaking that is done without being planned, organized, or rehearsed).  

The club is also focusing on specific things such as a public forum, which is a type of Debate. 

“It is a team event that advocates or rejects a position posed by the monthly resolution topic” said Brewer, “the team has to have a clash of ideas that must be communicated in a persuasive manner.”

Overall, Public Forum has to display solid logic, include lucid reasoning, and depth of analysis. 

“It has to utilize evidence without being driven by it,” said Brewer. “The team must present a clash of ideas by countering and refuting arguments of the opposing team.” 

As well as a public forum, the team focuses on “original oratory speeches,” says Brewer. 

Original oratory speeches are well known and are a competitive event in the National Speech and Debate Association. It also includes many other high school competitions in which the competitors must deliver an original speech on a subject of their choosing. 

The team and Bishop Blanchet hosted a middle school tournament this weekend on December 14. It will include a collection of competitions which begin with Interpretive readings (dramatic and humorous), storybook, editorial commentary, expository, duo interpretive reading, oratory, and impromptu. 

The Braves are excited to host middle schoolers at our own Speech and Debate tournament and look forward to growing their team.