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Speech & Debate

Members of the Upper School Speech & Debate

The Montgomery Academy Speech & Debate Team is the premiere speech & debate program in Alabama; it is one of the strongest programs in the Southeast, and we are one of the emerging programs in the nation as well. The National Speech & Debate Association consistently ranks Montgomery Academy in the top 1% of speech & debate programs in the United States. The Speech & Debate Team has been the recipient of the Leading Chapter Award from the NSDA a total of four times and has been named a Chair School of the Barkley Forum For High Schools at Emory University in 2006. Our students are respected across the nation as formidable opponents in debate, eloquent speakers in speech, and creative performers in the interpretation events. The public speaking skills, the research skills, and the critical thinking skills developed within the speech & debate program give our alumni the tools needed to pursue careers in law, business, politics, and the arts.

The curriculum begins in the Middle School with an elective class that focuses on skill development and introducing students to basic events in debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation of literature. In 2015, the Middle School Speech & Debate Team competed for the first time at Middle School Nationals, a competition we will continue.

In the Upper School, students focus on specific areas of interest within the field of Speech & Debate as they compete in tournaments at a local, regional, and national level. The Speech & Debate team has won 18 state championships–the third most of any program in the country. Additionally, for the past 32 consecutive years, students qualify for the National Speech & Debate Association's National Tournament. The focus of the program, however, remains on skill development and improvement. While we have students who receive recognition at every tournament they attend, we also have students who may never receive an award. The process is emphasized not the result.