Meet the Coaching Staff:

Mr. Smith is currently in his 35th year of coaching forensics. He began his connection with this activity as a 9th grader at Jefferson HS.  His competitive highlight was qualifying in Humorous Interpretation for the 1989 National Tournament in Golden, Colorado.  While in college at Purdue, he and his best friend founded a speech team at Lafayette Central Catholic.  Mr. Smith then taught and coached at North HS in Evansville.  After four years there, he moved closer to home and spent five years teaching and coaching in Logansport, Indiana.  For the past 21 years he has taught and coached at West Lafayette.  Mr. Smith loves the outdoors.  He takes great pleasure in landscaping and maintaining his garden pond.  He also enjoys camping and solo hiking.

Tim is a senior at Purdue University studying Political Science and Economics. This is his third year coaching debate at West Side. As a former West Lafayette debater, Tim has competed in Lincoln-Douglas, Congress, and Public Forum debate. He was a four-time national qualifier, a state runner-up in Lincoln Douglas, and a recipient of the IHSFA’s Robert E. Brittain Mental Attitude Award. Outside of debate, Tim spends a lot of his free time at the gym or skateboarding around campus. He is involved in student politics at Purdue and hopes to one day attend law school in order to pursue a career in international politics. A prodigious (and opinionated) consumer of music, Tim can often be found listening to yacht rock, hip hop, and just about everything in between.