Students are presented with many opportunities to get involved with clubs and other organizations. One of these many opportunities is to be on the Debate team. Debate has many matches throughout the year including  10 tournaments.

Taneisha Marshall is the coach for the Debate team.  When she attended college at the University of Arkansas, she was a member of the debate team.

“When I saw all of the benefits I gained from the style of public speaking they competed in, I knew right away this was the direction high school debate should move towards. I had a hard time with high school as a teenager because I did not see the relevancy of the work I was doing in the real world, and IPDA provides skills a student can use no matter what field they enter after high school,” said Mrs. Marshall.

Additionally, debates prepares students for future careers.

“Debate opens the door to endless opportunities for students especially student going into politics, communications, law or even psychology… but really a good speaker will always be perceived as more intelligent, a better leader and more credible. Several of our students have been offered scholarships for debate and attend private colleges. Debate is not always a skill about argumentation but a skill of perception and communication,” she said.

Debate tournaments and matches also take preparation. The teams run their own practices and meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m.

“Our team meets only when we need to and that is usually during school. We spend a lot of time on the road, so we try to limit our outside requirements as much as possible,” said Mrs. Marshall.

The team competes locally at John Brown University, as well as at universities across the south. 

“We compete in 10 tournaments a year, including the National Championship tournament. We must compete a minimum of six tournaments in order to be competitive for a national title in any division,” she said.

Sophomore Abby Rice is one of the debate team members who has competed for the past two years. 

“Debate is an overall combination of social groups put into sometimes uncomfortable situations to solve a problem. I joined because of my speaking skills and my love for oral communications,” she said. 

Rice has competed in three tournaments but has attended at least eight.

Sophomore Ashylnn Mayes, along with Rice, sees the value of the class.

“It’s interesting and teaches you to think in a new way. You also will learn about issues you normally wouldn’t have,” Mayes said.

Mayes, a first year team member looks forward to competing soon and has been a judge.

“I love the energy, and it exposes you to new perspectives,” Mayes said.

The debate team traveled to Louisiana State University-Shreveport Nov. 3-8.