“Chasing those passions and loving what you do, that is what makes something go from good to truly amazing,” is senior Xander Cook’s high praise for speech and debate here at AHS. Atlantic’s program has had some outstanding years and is looking forward to an interesting future.
Speech and debate us an extracurricular activity that offers a variety of outlets for students’ creativity and passion. It challenges students to use and expand their skills in acting, speaking, and debating. As head coach of 12 years, Trisha Koenig put it, “It is so much more than just standing and talking about a topic. There are categories for all kinds of personalities; those that want to write their own informative or persuasive speeches, those that want to take on a character and act, and those that thrive on being able to make it up when they get there.”
The program has a distinguished past, as evidenced by the awards displayed in the cabinet next to Bryce Smith’s classroom. “We had quite the successful run in the ’70s and built a name for our program, but it did dwindle some,” said Koenig. In the past few years, the core of students participating in the activity has been small compared to some of its competitors, but nevertheless has been greatly successful. In what Koenig cited as one of her favorite speech and debate memories, the team won the National Qualifiers Team Sweepstakes in 2023. This year’s program is active, with several events on the roster this semester at schools like Dowling Catholic and Lincoln High School.
Students play an important role in the success of the team as well. On Thursday, Dec. 4, members of the team will staff a concession stand at a school event to raise money for the program. But speech and debate also helps the success of the participants. Many of the students spoke of how the program has helped them in high school, and how they believe it will help them in their future occupation or education.
Senior Margaret McCurdy said, “Speech has brought me many opportunities for merit as a four-time state champion and seven-time All-State participant, networking with some of the best communicators in the nation, and building my experience for interviews.” McCurdy is not alone in this sentiment, with junior Bailey Grieshaber echoing that speech has helped her gain awareness about topics through debate researching, and has given her the confidence and skill to communicate and network effectively.
But this activity isn’t all briefcases and monologues. McCurdy’s favorite memory was making a candy salad on the suburban ride – inside of her award cup. Cook remembered the fun he had at his large group practices and when he qualified for the national tournament. One can find many funny stories and inside jokes in this team.
Koenig described the atmosphere as “definitely inviting, as we are a no-cut activity. Everyone is welcome to try any or all categories. It can be challenging based on what type of speech you want to do. Writing your own can be harder than acting a pre-written script. But memorizing a piece can also be challenging compared to paraphrasing your own words and more or less ‘winging it.'”
Overall, speech and debate is looking forward to an exciting future while building upon a distinguished past. In the words of Coach Koenig: “I can’t wait to see what each year brings, and the new generations of students that are brave enough to try something new.”
