The speech & debate program was started at Marist School in 1983. For the first decade plus, the program existed as a club that didn't really leave Ashford Dunwoody Road, but rather focused on the core tenants of argumentation. In 1997, the school competed for the first time in a regular season competition. Although the team was small, Principal Joel Konzen had a vision to create a nationally successful speech and debate program.
Marist set out to do three things.
We set out to cultivate a culture of intellectual excellence.
The Marist Speech & Debate program is one of the most active and competitive programs in the nation. As a nationally recognized chapter charter member of National Speech & Debate Association and an annual member of the National Debate Coaches Association and the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association, the program is one of the most decorated extracurricular activities at Marist School.
We set out to build a program unlike any other.
Marist School is the only private school program in the state that offers a full slate of speech & debate events to students. We believe that every student should have the opportunity to find the event that matches their unique skill set. It is our job as a program to then coach that student to find success.
The program is proud of its students and its history of excellence. We have won twenty state championships, qualified 179 students to National Championships and placed in the top ten nationally nine times in the past ten years.
Over this span, Marist School was the:
first school in the state of Georgia to qualify students in more than one debate event to the Tournament of Champions. (2017)
first school in the state of Georgia to ever have a student reach elimination rounds at the Tournament of Champions in speech events (2018)
first school in the state of Georgia to ever qualify more than two teams to the Tournament of Champions in public forum debate (2019).
first school in the state of Georgia to ever have a top 3 finish in all four main debate events at the State Championship (2017).
first school in state history to have a team ranked in the top ten nationally five years in a row in public forum debate.
We set out to help students build upon the legacies before them.
