Club Spotlight: Speech and Debate

By Juliana Segura

The Centennialight

There are many clubs and organizations that are presented to Centennial students, but one in particular is speech and debate. This is a CHSAA activity that most students view as only a debate team, but in reality the club does so much more. 

On the speech side of this organization, students are encouraged to participate in various events such as humorous interpretation and impromptu speaking.

Humorous interpretation is an event where students who enjoy comedy will thrive, as they perform comedic literature intended to make their audience laugh. Impromptu speaking is an event for students who do their best work when put on the spot, as they are asked to create a short speech only minutes after being informed of a topic. 

Another commonly unknown event to compete in is Congress. This event is perfect for those who are involved politically and believe they can share important input on government issues as they debate legislative bills and resolutions.

The debate side of this organization is for students who have strong argumentative skills. There are two events for students to compete in which are the Lincoln Douglas Debate and the Public Forum Debate.

The Lincoln Douglas Debate is a one-one-one debate where students may debate topics such as justice, morality, or individual rights. The Public Forum Debate differs as it is a two-on-two debate, which is ideal for those who value teamwork, can present solid evidence, and are persuasive speakers.

This is an organization that has been a part of Centennial’s proud history as the team has been active for over 40 years and have also had 44 students compete nationally, with even more competing at the state level.

Recently, the team was regional champions in 2023 and have had constant state qualifiers such as graduate Ky Burton, but also current students Maddie Gonzales and Evie Valdez.

The coach, Shayla Reynolds, stated, “I think that students often believe you have to fit a mold with certain characteristics or a certain personality to join this team, which is simply not true. It’s a great activity with a wide variety of students from different activities, skills, interests, and backgrounds.”

For any students who are interested in joining this team, there are two options to join. One is emailing Reynolds, but the other is filling out an interest form that is open for all students. It is also highly recommended to follow the club on social media platforms as they have an Instagram page as well as Tiktok.

The last bit of information for prospective students is that the first meeting will be held August 31, 2026, and they encourage everyone to meet the team, learn about events, and gain basic information. 

Speech and Debate members, Noah Najera, Kylee Hughes, and Karenna Chandler after placing at a meet in December.