About the Team

In the fall of 2024, the Hays High School speech and debate team welcomed back nearly fifty returning Hays High School students to its varsity ranks and almost forty first-year students to Debate I. Hays Speech and Debate is one of the largest, most successful co-curricular programs in Hays High School and Hays CISD.

Students wishing to compete in speech and debate events must be enrolled in one of several classes at HHS. Most students choose to take Debate I as a survey class - in Debate I they will be exposed to an array of persuasive speaking and debate events offered on the competition circuit - Student Congress, Original Oratory, Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln Douglas and Cross Examination Debate.  Varsity students are generally in Debate II or Debate III, and compete in either Lincoln Douglas or Cross Examination Debate.  Students who compete in Extemporaneous Speaking, Student Congress or Public Forum are often enrolled in the Public Speaking course, while those who compete in interpretation events or persuasive speaking events take the Oral Interpretation class.

Students in competitive speech and debate classes must compete in at least one tournament each nine weeks. Most students choose to represent HHS in competition at least several times per year.  Students may choose to compete in any number of events, including PF (Public Forum) Debate, CX (Policy) Debate, LD (Lincoln Douglas) Debate, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Interpretation of Prose, Interpretation of Poetry, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Student Congress, Public Forum Debate, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation and Duo Interpretation. 

Success in speech and debate competition is self-paced and self-directed; any student who is motivated to succeed can build the skills and knowledge to be successful!