This year’s Speech and Debate team traveled to Denver to compete in a tournament from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8. History teacher, Britt Linke, has been teaching here for two years and took the opportunity to coach this year’s debate team. The students who completed are Evan Barba (11) and Willa Liu (9). 

Even Barba won third place in the Humorous Interpretation category. His favorite part of the competition was meeting students from different schools and hanging out with them, because he doesn’t get to see them often. His speech topic was about a little girl named Susie who tries to get compensation for all the bad things that have happened in her life. Barba says,” When life gives you lemons, sometimes you got to squeeze them through your armpits and make lemonade.” The lesson he learned was that, no matter what obstacles come your way, you should make the most of them and continue living your life to the fullest. 

This is Britt Linke’s first year teaching and coaching Speech and Debate here at MECA. She describes that during her classes, students practice their speeches in preparation for the competition. Their practice includes enunciation, time management, memorization, and coaching. Ever since teaching speech and debate, she been very impressed with the students in speech and debate.

Britt Linke said she was proud of all her students, and how they’ve continued to amaze the two students she named, Barba and Liu. She used them as the prime examples of the hard work, perseverance, and teamwork that go into preparing for competitions and the growth in their communication skills. Not only have they competed at local events, but also outside of school, and in travel competitions. It takes lots of practice, countless hours, and passion-driven speeches to move and to be recognized for one’s accomplishments.

”Evan and Willa placed in the last tournament, so they got lots of work, but also just their attitude, …their work ethic, those kinds of things play into it as well,” Linke said. “So not only are they doing well in their actual competitions, they’re doing well in, in the whole program.” It shows the dedication and the impact that speech and debate have on students who participate. Not only academically, but also emotionally and mentally. There are steps taken to determine whether students will move on and participate in the travel tournaments.  

Students are selected to participate in the travel debate competition by the coaches, who will listen to their speeches and help them be chosen. During the fifth period, students work with each other by practicing lines in their speeches using their script, while the other students check them for accuracy and mannerisms that can be improved on. By taking part in this process, it boosts their confidence and allow them to be more motivated for the days leading up to the big competition. Where they will be able to showcase their efforts and speeches. 

She also appreciates the environment created in speech and debate, where students work together to uplift each other both academically and in teamwork. 

Linke said, “I’ve only been to the local tournaments, and they know each other, and they’re like, happy to see, oh, hey, so and so is here from whatever other school. So there’s kind of a, there’s a really good, welcoming feeling there, which I really, I really appreciate.” 

Ever since being exposed to this environment, Linke has gained an appreciation for the art of Speech and Debate. She has also noticed the positive sportsmanship, no matter who wins, advances, or stays. The environment among peers stays the same. The positive and proud encouragement comes from students who are part of different districts, who are all passionate about one thing: Speech and Debate. 

Barba, a junior, has been part of the Speech and Debate team since freshman year. He has completed in the category of humorous interpretation.  He recently also won an award from the speech and debate competition, becoming a finalist at Wilson High School and placing seventh for dramatic interpretation.

He said, “A lot of the time, when it comes to preparing for these kinds of competitive tournaments, I need all the help. So, by just tackling the small details of a speech can drastically improve how well you perform in the timeline.”

Barba adds that if a student is interested in speech and debate, they should join, as it’s a good learning experience and improves one’s public speaking skills. Ever since joining the Speech and Debate class in high school, his public speaking skills and confidence have improved. Also, by joining speech competitions, he has traveled to places like Chicago and Denver. Being able to travel to states outside of California has been a great experience for him. Through this, he has been able to try new things, such as Chicago-style hot dogs and the different weather patterns, like snow. 

Barba and Liu will soon compete in a local competition hosted at Clemont.