In this article, Audrey will introduce the re-emerging GPHS Speech and Debate team. She will also explain competition categories, how to participate, and explain the events of the first Congressional Debate that took place in Oct. 2025.
This year marks the return of Speech and Debate as a competitive team at Grants Pass High School, offering students opportunities to build public speaking and critical thinking skills. The club currently meets every Monday from 3:50 p.m. to 6 p.m. in room 601, under the guidance Mrs. Medart, with plans to add another practice day later in the season.
Speech and Debate stands out from other competitive clubs in that team members may register for various competitions and distinct categories within them, rather than the entire group competing in a single category. This structure is similar to a school participating in Track and Field, in which individuals compete in specific events such as pole vault, javelin, 100 meters, and 3000 meters, rather than as a unified team in one event, as in basketball. Participants can choose to enter speech events, debate events, or both, much like athletes select between track, field events or both. Competition categories include Oratory, Radio, Informative, After Dinner Speaking (ADS), Impromptu Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Duo Interpretation, Humorous/Dramatic Interpretation (HI/DI), Poetry, Program of Interpretation (POI), Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Student Congress, and Cross-Examination (CX) Debate.
The presiding officers for the 2025-26 GPHS Speech and Debate season were nominated through an election early in the season on Oct. 6, 2025. Sophomore Kaelum Ward, who took the initiative to re-establish the club on campus, was elected president, followed by Vice President Phoenix C. Robinson (sophomore), Secretary Aiyana Farmer (junior), and Treasurer Gracelynn Yule (sophomore). In an interview with The Scroll, Kaelum Ward stated, "I wanted to bring Speech and Debate to GPHS because it provided students with opportunities to build critical thinking, public speaking, and debating. It is not just for those who love controversy, though; there are so many categories that anyone could find something they enjoyed.”
Photo from: GPHS Speech and Debate
On Wed., Oct. 22, the GPHS Speech and Debate team attended their first Congressional Debate Tournament. Congressional Debate is separate from other tournaments that offer a multitude of events. Congress takes place on one Wed. each month, with different schools taking turns hosting the event; however, it can also be offered as an event in a general Speech and Debate Tournament. The Congressional Debate on Oct. 22 took place at St. Mary’s High School, and the team was divided into three rooms at random, with each room competing in a separate Congressional Tournament.
In Student Congress, all teams are given a docket on the first of the month that includes a set of bills. Students can choose to take a stand in the position of affirmation or negation of each bill. They can also write their own bills and give an authorship speech to see if that bill will be discussed. To begin a round, an individual from any team has to nominate a Presiding Officer (PO), also commonly referred to as a Chairperson. Typically, in a round, the chairperson changes for every session. This person runs the meeting, grants people permission to move, and would break a tie if needed. Then, the docket will be opened and students will discuss the bills that should be discussed, including those from the online docket or student bills, and rank the order in which they will be discussed. Students will likely not get to some of these bills, depending on the quickness of the speeches and voting. Roughly ten bills will be given on paper in a docket and, in theory, students may write as many bills as they can get approved. Ward stated, “I really loved the format of Congress, and the bills were very interesting. It's just good to meet other people who enjoy debate and talk to them about politics.” In the Congressional Debate on Oct. 22, some of the most frequently discussed topics included whether or not North Korea should be given financial aid (student written), having the choice to provide raw milk in schools, killing the shadow docket, and updating the Mercator Projection map.
The majority of the rounds include the back and forth of an affirmation speech and a negation speech, given by any students in the room who volunteer and, after each speech, there is a questioning round to the audience. Speeches for affirmation and negation are a maximum of three minutes each time they occur. In Student Congress, the audience can also have devices to fact check the speaker during the questioning period. Then, once there is a motion to vote, students yell out "aye" or "nay", and a bill is either passed or dismissed before moving to the next bill. Student Congress is considered one of the lower effort speaking events, where students can prepare speech, bills, and amendments before the round (and are encouraged to do so), but they can also just show up, give impromptu speeches (especially on student bills that they might not have known before round), write an amendment during the round, and ask speakers questions.
Photo from: GPHS Speech and Debate
Speech events differ from debate because they include an individual or a duo, giving an auditory description, argument, or opinion on a subject, with no opposing counsel to ask questions or rebuttal. Speech events can be memorized. A few categories can be read aloud, and some can even be impromptu speeches, depending on the competition category. An Oratory Speech is a ten-minute, memorized speech that is written in advance. It is persuasive on the students' topic of choice. There is also an Informative Speech, which is similar to an Oratory Speech, the only difference being that it is on an informative topic of choice rather than a persuasive argument. Radio Speech is an event that can last anywhere between 4:45- 5:15 minutes. This event can be read entirely from a script, and the speaker does not even have to face the judges. This category describes the events of the current school year through a storytelling method, which can include sports, politics, pop culture, or anything that has been reported on. After Dinner Speaking (ADS) is a six-minute memorized speech. It is considered one of the least structured speeches and can be from the student's topic of choice of something funny but serving a purpose. This event is similar to giving a toast at a dinner party. Impromptu Speaking is an event where a speaker is given three random topics, typically a word, a quote, and a current event, and chooses one. They get one minute to plan a speech, then deliver a six-minute speech, without notes. Other speaking events include Extemporaneous Speaking, three topics of current events with 30 minutes of research to deliver a seven-minute speech; Duo Interpretation, a humorous interpretation of literary work; HI/DI, interpretation of a literary work; Poetry Reading; Prose, memorizing another famous speech; and POI (Program Oral Interpret), using literary works to create a script.
Debate events also come in a variety of categories, but often include more impromptu speaking options as a response to cross-examination or the other team’s argument. Lincoln-Douglas Debate is a category that addresses moral issues and argues what is most moral in society. The topic changes every two months, but for Sept. to Oct., it was a debate regarding whether the plea bargain is just, with each side arguing why it is more just to keep or leave the plea bargain in our judicial system. Parliamentary Debate includes having a partner, and includes a variety of debating current events, social events, and philosophical concepts. Big Questions is a newer type of debate that involves debating morals and worldviews, but the side that is debated for is assigned to participants at the competition. In the past, categories have included whether math was discovered or invented. This year, the topic is that moral systems rooted in theism are preferable to non-theistic moral systems. There is also a Public Forum Debate where schools debate current, often political events. For example, the Sept. to Oct. topic was whether the United Kingdom should rejoin the European Union.
Hailee Hall is a junior at GPHS who attended Sky View High School in Utah before this year. At Sky View, she participated in the Speech and Debate team, where she won many tournaments during her freshman and sophomore years. In a Scroll interview, Hall stated: "My biggest accomplishment was winning state my sophomore year, and receiving an award called Gladiator, which I had to place first in both of my events to win.” She continued, “ My favorite events are debates, specifically Lincoln Douglas, which I plan to compete in again this year.” Since Hall is currently the only member on the team who is experienced and accomplished enough to get plenty of Speech and Debate points in her time at competition, she will be GPHS’ only varsity member starting the season, until other members compete and receive points to make varsity later in the season.
GPHS’ first official tournament will be at St. Mary’s on Fri., Nov. 21 and Sat., Nov. 22, which will give students opportunities to compete in a variety of categories. The next Congressional Debate will be on Wed., Nov. 19. Students interested in competing in any category or in Congressional Debate are welcome to join the team and compete in future competitions. If anyone is interested in joining the team, then they should contact a club officer or email gphsspeechdebate@grantspass.k12.or.us to receive more information.
Interview with Hailee Hall, GPHS Varsity Member
Interview with Kaelum Ward, Speech and Debate Founder and President
