Sanctioning Organizations
The THS speech and debate team is open to any Tigard High student who wants to join. We attend tournaments throughout the year, which are sanctioned by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). We also register all of our students with the National Forensics League-- so yes, speech team members can say they're part of the NFL.
The team is also sanctioned and funded by the Associated Student Body (ASB) at THS. All members are required to pay ASB dues. We are also funded by team dues, which are determined yearly based on financial needs.
Competition / What am I signing up for?
Speakers compete individually in events of their choosing. Most tournaments offer debate, platform, and interp events. Some events are partnered, and competitors can choose their partner. The team as a whole also competes for sweepstakes at each tournament, based on the cumulative performance of the whole team.
Novice speakers can usually compete in a special novice division, and later move on to junior and open/senior division. You are welcome to join the team at any point during the year, though we recommend joining in the fall when it's easier to accomodate novices.
Tournaments are held by high schools and colleges around the state, and occasionally out of state. A few tournaments require competitors to stay overnight with the team. Most tournaments are on Saturdays, with a few extending through Fridays or even Thursdays. The speech team will excuse the required absences per Tigard High School policy. Student Congress competitions are often held after school, as they are shorter than a full tournament.
The team attends about two tournaments per month, plus congresses. But don't panic! Competitors may attend as many or as few competitions as they please.
What are the benefits of speech?
Speech teaches presentation skills, research skills, acting skills, critical thinking, and lots of other dry sounding terms. More succinctly, it is loads of fun. (It also looks great on college apps, but that should NOT be the reason for you to join speech. If you're into padding your resume, get a job or work at a soup kitchen.) The speech community is full of interesting and interested people. You may be slightly disturbed by them, but you will seldom be bored.
Speech Class
THS offers a "Public Speaking" and an "Advanced Speech and Debate" class, both of which are taught by Amber Manning, our coach. You are not required to take the class in order to join the team, but Manning is a wonderful teacher and it's a good way to get your feet wet.
Speech class students are required to attend a few tournaments along with the team.
More Info
Use the handy links on the right side of this page, or contact the coach or officers with questions.
