Academics

Speech and Debate

Colorado Academy’s Speech & Debate Society is off and running.
The goals of CA's Speech & Debate program are to help students develop the public speaking and advocacy skills needed by leaders in an ever-changing world. Through participation in competition and public discourse events, the Speech & Debate Society engages students in the many activities related to public speaking and debate. We also pledge to carry forth the Colorado Academy values of kindness and courage into the speech and debate arena.
 
The Speech & Debate Society participates in tournaments throughout the year at the state, national, and even international levels. The Colorado state competitions are governed by CHSAA, and CA  competes at the 4A level. Throughout the year, different high schools across the state host tournaments, which may be attended in person, depending on current COVID protocols. National and international tournaments take place virtually for now, but the hope is that we may be able to travel to some of those places in the future.
 
Still, we have intentionally called ourselves a society because we see speech and debate as much more than a series of competitions. Our group is involved in community outreach with groups such as the Urban Debate League and Horizons. We also partner with California Polytechnic State University to host Spanish-language debates. This Puertas Abiertas (Open Doors) program will be open to Spanish speakers at all levels and will be centered on helping students develop Spanish-language advocacy skills.

Speech & Debate at CA

Speech & Debate Faculty

List of 2 items.

  • Jon Vogels

    Dr. Jon Vogels teaches the Upper School Speech & Debate elective and is primarily responsible for supporting students in the speech arena.
    View Bio

  • Randall Martínez

    Randall Martínez teaches and coaches the CA Upper School debate students.
    View Bio

Speech & Debate News

Testimonials

  • Clare Milligan

    “This has really helped me become a better communicator, and that will manifest itself in any field I choose to go into. Even if a job is STEM-based, you have to be able to communicate why an idea has value.” 

  • Owen Tilman

    “Debating has certainly helped my writing on a philosophical basis, in addition to my argumentation. Similar to the logic required for advanced mathematical concepts, approaching complex topics in the debate setting also demands the same brands of logical and analytical processing. Debate, I feel, also merges my love for performance with my love for academic analysis—which I can say has been the only activity in which I have participated that does so and does so well.” 

  • Sarah Preston

    “I have gained so much confidence speaking in front of others. I know how to present in front of a large group. I actually feed off the challenge because I like thinking, ‘I could mess up, but I am not going to.’”

  • Dr. Jon Vogels

    “Colleges often have their own version of speech and debate, so students can keep participating in college. And whether it’s politics, law, lobbying, or any occupation where you are expected to do speaking, you will be well prepared coming out of a speech and debate program.” 

  • Randall Martínez

    “Communication is key to having a successful life. Civil discourse is struggling today, and our students need to be the ones to fix it. We can be ambassadors to civility worldwide.” 

CA Traditions

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