Leesville is new to the speech and debate game. The club, in its second year, has began cracking down to officially join the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), formally known as the National Forensics League (NFL).
Joining the club will require an annual due on part of the school and a one-time due for individuals. These fees will be handled by members through club fees.
By joining the club, students will be able to begin competing more regularly at events held at regional high schools as well as country. Student competitors, once members of the league, will accrue points for their scores and competition. These points are used to determine those that progress to higher state and national competitions.
Leesville students have competed and spectated at two tournaments so far, at both Cary and Enloe High School. This tournaments are all day events, where debaters compete in usually four rounds of their chosen event. Events range from debate formats, solo speech, to dramatic events.
Many schools, particularly private, such as Durham and Cary Academy, have very involved programs similar to a football team. Ms. Spransy, social studies teacher and advisor, hopes that by joining the league thus allowing debtors to acquire points will put Leesville well on its way to having a similar program.
Griffin Bobrowski, sophomore and Public Forum debater, said, “It’s very exciting. I think it’s great that we’re now going to become an official club. With last year being our first, it should lead to a lot of growth for the club.”
