BY JORDAN BRYSON

The Speech and Debate teams are experiencing a better season this year than last. In their competition against 35 schools at Pattonville on Dec. 9-10, sophomore Sophie Gordon placed sixth in Radio. At the Clayton/Ladue competition on Nov. 18-19, members placed first and third in Duet Improv, second in Poetry and second in Radio.

Then, at the FHN Invitational on Nov. 29, eight members qualified for the Greater St. Louis (GSL) finals that take place Jan. 20-21 at Ritenour High School.
“We’ve got a lot of team spirit which turns into good work ethic,” sponsor Theresa Maher said. “It’s just a really good spirit all of us have together.”

The Speech and Debate teams’ overall success is taken from the many individual victories and the fact that the club has tripled in size to a total of 25 members.

“We’ve been doing exceptionally well this year,” junior Smitha Milli said. “I think I’ve done pretty well. I placed in Parkway, qualified for GSL.”

Maher hopes for the rest of the season that Varsity members take on leadership roles and enjoy their time in the Speech and Debate clubs.

“I really like doing it,” sophomore Matt Schneider said. “I think it’s good activities to do because they’re good skills to have for the rest of your life, and it’s a fun way to get those skills.”