It’s a Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. and while most classrooms are empty, a small group of students is still at school—spreading evidence across desks, rehearsing speeches, having mock debates, and preparing for their next tournaments. For members of the speech and debate team, staying late isn’t the exception. It’s the routine.
Over the past two years, the Speech and Debate team has experienced significant growth under new leadership; expanding its membership, increasing tournament participation, and hosting two competitions this year as part of plans for continued development. This expansion allows for any and all students to learn and follow their passion.
“When I first joined Speech and Debate there were probably 10 members,” senior and co-president Zoya Maknojia said. “Our new coach [Ronnie Massey] came in and it was definitely difficult in the beginning, but over time we learned alongside him, and he gave us a lot of support and helped us do all that we have done.”
When Coach Massey stepped in, it was only meant to be temporary, but after getting to know his students who needed someone there and wanted to compete, he was asked to stay on as coach for another year. Because of all the work Coach Ronnie Massey has devoted to his students and the club, he’s already been named District New Coach of the Year for the greater East Texas area.
“I was just trying to help out students and our school. We had a few students needing an adult to help them sign up for tournaments,” Massey said. “I offered to help because I had experience in debate. After starting to build systems and getting to know the students, it became my program.”
Massey’s qualifications stemmed not from prior coaching experience, but from his own time as a competitor and his involvement in assisting at tournaments. While he still faced a learning curve in guiding the program to its current success, that firsthand experience ultimately prepared him to take the reins.
“During high school I competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate and extemporaneous speaking,” Massey said. “I also judged speech and debate during college.”
The Speech and Debate program means something different to everyone involved. Whether it be skills they feel they can greatly benefit from, new opportunities, or simply the outlet they need to make their voice feel heard. As long as they are willing to put in the work everyone is welcome.
“I joined speech and debate my freshman year because I really just wanted an outlet,” senior and co-president Ayden Abetz said. “I’ve always liked the idea of doing debate, and I thought it seemed like fun. So I just joined.”
For some students, finding a place in Speech and Debate takes time. That was the case for sophomore treasurer Ava Ayres, who initially joined the team simply to try something new after being recruited at her eighth grade Course Selection Night, only to discover a lasting passion after attending a meeting.
“A couple of my friends and I decided to show up to the first meeting not expecting much,” Ayres said. “In that initial meeting we got to test out several of the different event options and immediately I knew speech was for me. After a month of editing, blocking, and board making, my first speech was taken to a tournament and the rest is history.”
The team has ample opportunities for everyone to compete, making sure to have plenty of tournaments on their schedule. Last year they even got the chance to debate at Harvard.
“I remember my freshman year everyone was like ‘oh you could go to Harvard with this.’ I was always thinking that’d be cool, but I never really saw myself actually going,” Abetz said. “So it’s really cool for me to have that experience now, of going to Harvard and saying I’ve debated there. I have a sweatshirt and everything.”
This year, along with attending other schools tournaments, the team hosted two of their very own. One being a swing tournament with Klein High School, and the other being a junior high tournament hosted for Klein Oaks feeder schools.
“Hosting both a high school and junior high tournament for the first time ever definitely had its challenges, but overall our team came together and made it a success,” Ayres said. “In the end we raised thousands for our team and learned a lot from it.”
The team has evolved from being largely coach led to something that relies heavily on student leadership, with members now more inclined to seek support from their peers and work together as a team.
“I think there’s a lot more student involvement now than there was last year,” junior and club member Bailey Gale said. “I feel like now, if I have a question I’m going to one of the officers or event captains rather than Massey directly.”
Alongside the team’s other achievements their competition skills have grown immensely too. With old members and new members alike having already made it to state. Some members also have higher aspirations to make it to national and even international competitions.
“We have quite a few people who state qualified this year,” Gale said. “We have really good competitors. There’s some really strong debaters and speakers in the club right now.”
With the Speech and Debate academic team continuously growing, the possibilities it offers are more prevalent than ever. Since there are many categories to focus on – from dramatic speeches to Lincoln-Douglas debates – Speech and Debate can be a place for any student to come and not only gain more knowledge, but also do what they love.
“I think, within Speech and Debate, there is something for everybody,” Ayres said. “We had individuals and group. We have stuff for future politicians in congress. We have prepared and extemporaneously speaking if you want to just practice those skills…There’s something for everybody.”
