There's Just Something About Speech and Debate
Public speaking can be daunting for some, but for those in Speech and Debate club at Crown Point High School, it’s no big deal.
Speech and Debate revolves around 19 events ranging from Poetry and Prose to Discussion and Original Oratory. Each event involves speaking in front of a judge multiple times in preliminary rounds in the hopes of performing once more to compete for ribbons and trophies.
At the CP team’s final meet, co-sponsor Lisa Keene recruited new members to experience the club, like seniors Jeremy DeBold and Ally Rekitzke.
“I decided to do speech and debate because Mrs. Keene really needed more people, so she recruited some newspaper people. I also did it because it was a new experience and I wanted to try it,” DeBold said.
Similarly, Rekitzke joined the team to help Keene out and broaden her experiences.
“I decided to participate in speech and debate because the sponsor, Mrs. Keene, asked newspaper people if they would sign up after hearing us talk about different political topics. I also wanted to try something new and different because it's my last chance during my high school year to,” Rekitzke said.
Though it was her first and last time participating in the club, Rekitzke enjoyed the experience and believes it helped her gain confidence in her public speaking abilities.
“I think I've become more confident in my speaking abilities after doing this. After seeing the judges' comments, it makes me feel good knowing that I can be put under pressure like that and come up with this elaborate speech about a very serious topic,” Rekitzke said.
DeBold competed in Impromptu speaking where one receives a quote or topic and has 30 seconds to prepare a three to five minute speech. The difficulty of the event also gave DeBold confidence in his speaking abilities.
“I think it definitely made me more comfortable with my speaking abilities. By the end of the day I felt like I could, and wanted to, talk to anyone and everyone,” DeBold said.
Sophomore Sokhna Kelly has competed on multiple occasions in Discussion and Original Oratory.
“Original Oratory is where you write your own five to 10 minute speech, and discussion is where you receive three to four articles about varying topics prior to the tournament. Then you go in and discuss questions with other people. It really teaches you how to negotiate in a professional setting,” Kelly said. “Speech and debate has helped me find my own voice. When you're in school, you're always given a prompt. With speech, you [learn how to] decide what to say and how to say it.”
Freshman Erin Tien won an award for her event, Informative Speaking, in what was her first varsity competition. Informative Speaking involves participants performing 10 minute speeches about a specific topic. Tien spoke out against bullying.
“I have competed two times with the high school team. But when I was younger, I competed in a similar event for 4-H for three years and won many titles for that. For the high school team, I placed fourth in our first meet and seventh at my first varsity meet,” Tien said.
Rekitzke participated in U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking and also received an award for her success.
“It's where the participants get to choose one topic from three that they pick from an envelope. They get 30 minutes to prep on their chosen topic. Any information they get is from a file of newspaper articles they have chosen pre-competition. Then after their prep, they go to their assigned room and do their speech in front of a judge. The speech had to last about 7 minutes or so,” Rekitzke said. “I was really shocked to get a ribbon because it was such a nerve racking time. It was really amazing to get an award my first time at an event like this.”
Students Raise Funds with "Say Yes to the Dress"
As the year goes on, prom season is approaching. It can be expensive for some, so students from Crown Point High School’s Pulse club have organized a prom apparel resale event called "Say Yes To The Dress".
Senior and co-organizer of the event, Grace Moles cites the high costs that accompany prom as the main reason for the creation of the event.
“It is a sale in which girls and guys can donate old formal dance things, such as dresses and suits, which can then be purchased, and all the profits go to St. Jude House,” Moles said. “Dances are expensive, so we created this to make prom more affordable for students by selling used items at a reasonable price. Also we wanted to raise some money for a great cause.”
But resale shopping does not always accompany not being able to afford off the rack apparel for some. Moles’ fellow senior and co-organizer Liz Dietrich states that the event was created to help not only high schoolers but also kids in need.
“We created this event to give girls a way to buy a cheap dress. Not only for girls that can't afford to buy a brand new dress but also for those that don't want to. We want the dance to be easily accessible to everyone and don't want any students to feel they can't go because of financial reasons,” Dietrich said. “All the proceeds will go to the St. Jude House. We wanted an organization that empowered women and it was a bonus that it also helps children.”
Donations for the event will be accepted from March 6 to 10 in CPHS’ main office. Anyone can donate to the cause. The event is for all types of prom apparel for men and women.
“We are asking girls to donate old homecoming, turnabout and prom dresses and boys to donate old suits, ties or shoes. There will be a sale on March 10 in which all the donations will be for sale. All short dresses will be one price and all long dresses will be another,” Dietrich said.
Every student who makes a donation or purchase be entered into a raffle to win a variety of prizes.
“[Students can] win amazing gifts, such as $150 off a senior session at Pat and Cassie, a $50 Beauty and the Beach gift card, an unlimited two week tanning certificate from Image Sun, a $25 off a tux certificate from Dunhill and other prom related prizes. Also, girls can bid on three brand new, beautiful prom dresses kindly donated by Pink Boutique. And, above all, St. Jude's is an amazing cause [to donate to],” Moles said.
The sale will take place in CPHS’ cafeteria on March 10 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.