A pair of speech students junior Brendyn Van Houten and sophomore Sophia Amundgaard, advanced to speech nationals in Des Moines, Iowa June 16-21. By finishing second overall at the national qualifying tournament for his Humorous Interpretation,  Van Houten is on to his second straight national appearance. In addition, Amundgaard qualified as an alternate  in International Extemp Speaking.

They are in a pool of 140,000 students who participate in national speech and debate competitions around the nation. This dynamic duo represents just two among the 5,000 other competitors that compete, in two general categories of speech events, public address events and interpretive events.

The speech team as a whole has been successful, winning the section 4AA tournament. Recording 12 wins and three honorable mentions in the East Suburban Conference, sending 13 competitors to state, 17 entries to the National Individual Tournament of Champions and two qualified students.

Amundgaard and Van Houten, who is a two-time national qualifier, to National Speech and Debate Association’s 2024 national tournament and qualifying at least two students, senior Soren Peterson and junior Coolsjes Singvi also two-time national qualifiers and one alternate, sophomore Ella Venzke to World Schools debate at that same national tournament.

Speech Coach  Van Houten explained that at her first practice, she saw the concern in the eyes of our varsity team. She promised them, she was there to help them reach their goals. She didn’t know how she would get them to where they wanted to go and knew she would try to get the students where they wanted to be.  Now, with 17 qualifiers for a national tournament, including two speech qualifiers, two World Schools qualifiers, two supplemental spots earned, and one alternate going to NSDA nationals, it’s clear: their grit, agility, and support made it all possible.

State and national award winners have a 22 percent to 30 percent higher acceptance rate at top-tier colleges. Being captain of the speech and debate team improved an applicant’s chances by more than 60% compared with the rest of the pool.  Even without winning major awards, participation in speech and debate reflected in the above-average acceptance rate for forensic students (+4%). This is significantly better than other extracurricular activities that tend to recruit from the same pool of students as forensic teams such as school newspaper reporter (+3%), sports team captain (+5%), class president (+5%), and band (+3%), according to the wall street journal.

“So after last year of speech I made it farther than I thought I would have, I gained a team and a really successful family and community that supported me no matter what, whether I was winning rounds, or I was losing them, and really just helped me grow. I would definitely say speech has helped me in my classes, when giving presentations or writing essays. It’s just been a good skill overall,” Amundgaard said.

Speech and debate is the art of communication. Studies have shown that students who participate in speech and debate come out better able to express their viewpoints effectively, connect with others, and persuade others. In addition, participating in speech.

According to the National Speech and Debate Associate (NSDA), of students who participated in speech and debate while in school, 90% obtained a graduate-level college degree, 15% were top-ranking executives in their corporation, 30% were university educators and 10% worked in government. 

As a part of the speech team, Van Houten has been able to express himself in ways that he has usually not been able to before. As he prepares for nationals where he is competing in humor. Van Houten explained how speech has affected his daily life, “I’m able to do a lot of things in speech that I’m not able to do just normally just because it’s considered very, like just weird and different. So it allows me to just play different characters who are just not able to do, I take a movie or a piece of written literature, and then I cut it to 10 minutes and then I perform that so that is all done beforehand. Pre prepped I’ve had my whole season to work on and ultimately prepare for this moment and nationals. My piece this year is the comedy movie the “Birdcage.”

Additionally, speech and debate influence on academic progress while still in school is very promising. According to the Noah Webster Educational Foundation: 15% of speech and debate participants experience higher self-esteem, 31% of speech and debate participants attend classes more regularly, 36% of speech and debate participants see an increase in their reading test scores, 87% of speech and debate participants improve their analytical skills, 100% of speech and debate participants experience an increase in interest in their classes. According to the Noah Webster Educational Foundation.

“For our individual students, they bring their own skills to the table to set them apart but something they both are so great at is their ability to take criticism well and to find joy in the journey. Win or lose both Sophia and Brendyn know that wins come and go but the ability to love what you do carries you through.  They know how to laugh at themselves and grow from the journey,” Houten said.