GTHS SPEECH & DEBATE TEAM
Coach Carter (Debate)
Coach Epps (Speech)
(RM #1018)
Meet Times: Tuesdays at 3:00 PM in Room #1018
2024-2025
Carter/King Tournament at
Midtown High School
Grovetown Debate had their last regular season tournament at Midtown High School on Sat. Dec. 7.
The Carter/King Tournament is one of the most prestigious and challenging tournaments in Georgia, including up to 35 schools across 2 states.
Grovetown received:
*Semifinalist in Varsity Public Forum (Jasmine Franco & Alex Gray)
*Octofinalist in Varsity Public Forum (Ash Sonnier & Sam Benton)
9th Speaker in Varsity Public Forum (Ash Sonnier)
4th Speaker in Novice Public Forum (Caleb Levering)
The team will be competing at the following state championships this season:
*1st & 2nd Year State Championship at Marist School (January 17-19, 2025)
**Varsity State Championship at Carrollton High School (February 7-9, 2025)
Let's GO Warrior Speech & Debate!
Sequoyah High School Tournment
Autumn Argument 2024
The GTHS Speech & Debate Team competed at Sequoyah High School on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Jasmine Franco & Alex Gray (Varsity Public Forum) will represent GTHS in the Varsity State Championship in February at Carrollton High School.
Additionally, Ash Sonnier earned 1st speaker in Novice Public Forum (NPF), while Bradley Merhoff and Johnathan Bertrand won 3rd and 4th respectively. This was out of 20 school entries (40 speakers) within the state.
In NPF, Ash Sonnier & Bradley Merhoff claimed 3rd place and Cesar Gonzalez & Johnathan Bertrand was 5th.
Alpharetta High School Tournament
Alpharetta Treasure Hunt
We competed in our first tournament at Alpharetta High School on September 14.
We had entries in: Novice Public Forum, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Impromptu Speaking.
Alex Gray and Jasmine Franco earned the championship (5-0 in rounds) in Novice Public Forum.
Bradley Merhoff and Darius Smith earned quarterfinalists (4-0 record going into 1st round of playoffs) for Novice Public Forum.
For Speaker Awards in Novice Public Forum we earned 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 9th speaker.
*Speaker awards are given for how students perform individually in novice public forum.
We earned a spot in the 1st and 2nd Year State Championship at Marist (in January).
Let's GO WARRIOR SPEECH & DEBATE!
INFORMATION/LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
President: Ash Sonnier
Vice President: Sam Benton
Secretary: Jasmine Franco
National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Topics for Competition
*In accordance with GFCA (Georgia Forensic Coaches Association) rules
*Public Forum Debate – 2024 JANUARY Topic:
Resolved: The African Union should grant diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state.
Event breakdown.docxTournament Schedule 2024-25
REGULAR SEASON
SEPT. 14: Alpharetta
OCT. 26: Sequoyah
NOV. 9: Lassiter
NOV. 15-17: Carrollton (hybrid)
Dec. 7: Midtown
POST-SEASON
(based on season rankings)
Jan. 17-19: GFCA 1st & 2nd Year State Championship
Feb. 7-9: GFCA Varsity State Championship
Examples of the work we do to get ready for debates!
