Clackamas High School
Speech Team
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Jennifer LeSieur – CHS Teacher/Coach
Ameena Amdahl-Masonn– CMC Teacher/Coach
Larry Burke, Joyce Wells – Volunteers
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2014-2015
Updated August 27, 2014
Welcome! We are so excited that you are thinking about joining the speech and debate
team or that you are a returning member. In order for us to have a safe and productive
year, please read the following information carefully. Please read even if you are a
returning student as this information is important for each student and parent to know.
General Information:
1. Speech and Debate Team: The speech and debate team are the same team.
We meet together, practice together and the most successful students compete
in both activities. Training is provided. In fact, at most tournaments, students
must compete in both speech and debate events to attend. Our goal is to
have well-rounded students.
2. Volunteers/Getting Involved: The team relies heavily on volunteers and peer
mentors. All opinions and experiences are important and valuable. Please
consider volunteering. Even once a quarter is very helpful. We need people
to listen to speeches, drive to competitions, help chaperone and we always need
judges. No experience is necessary and basic training is provided.
3. Team Membership: Students need to compete in tournaments to become
official team members. Students do not need to attend every tournament,
however, the more tournaments the students attend the better they will do at
district and state competition. In addition, students earn NSDA (National Speech
and Debate Association) points (formerly NFL) every time they compete. CHS
has approximately 20-25 yearly competition opportunities.
4. Tournament Sign-Ups: Students sign up for tournaments in advance – initial
sign ups are usually about 10 days in advance of a tournament and the cutoff to
drop or change events is three days prior to the tournament. (A complete list of
tournaments is included with this handbook and are posted on the teams
website). Sign-ups will be posted in room 502. A prompt sign-up will allow time
for me to work with students on new events, catch any conflicts and allow us to
get our fees in early to avoid late fees. Once paid the fees are non-refundable.
Students are expected to attend the tournaments they sign up for.
Exceptions:
a. Illness: if informed up to the morning of the tournament.
b. Weather: if conditions seem dangerous, stay safe.
c. A family emergency arises. Please inform Ms. LeSieur ASAP at 503-5979734.
5. Dropping/Tournament No-Show: If your student fails to show for the
tournament or drops an event after the cut-off time (usually 3 days prior to the
tournament) your student will be billed for their events (by the bookkeeper). Fees
range from $3-$8 per event and up to $20 for a debate team. We fundraise for
entry fees. Therefore, it is extremely important that your student follows through
when signing up. In addition, tournament directors usually pre-matched the first
round and unexpected drops cause tournament delays.
6. Competition Requirements: Students will need to compete in more than one
event. The only exception to this rule is for students attending their first
tournament or tournament conflicts (when the tournament limits entries). If
students need help determining an additional event, please see one of the
coaches for help.
7. Tournament Schedule: Times for the beginning of tournaments are not
flexible. The mini-bus must leave on time to arrive at tournaments. Therefore,
we ask that you arrive 5 minutes early to ensure a timely departure. If your
student is late, you may drive them to the tournament. Please call me so I know
whether to drop them from their events or not. If I don’t hear from you, I will
assume your student has dropped. On the other hand, returning times for
tournaments are very changeable. Your student should call you in advance to
let you know if we will be early or late and approximately when we will arrive.
After years of attending tournament I have a good idea when most tournaments
end therefore we are usually within an hour of estimated time.
Sample Schedule (A typical tournament schedule).
Schedule – Clackamas Holiday Edge
December 7, 2013
Be at the HS at 7:00 am.
Pattern A:
ADS, DI, Duo, Expos, Extemp, HI, Impromptu, Oratory, Poetry, Prose,
Radio
Pattern B:
CX (see times below) Public Forum, LD, Public, LIBELL, Storytelling
Pattern C:
Student Congress
07:00 – 07:40 am
Registration
07:40 – 07:55 am
Mandatory meeting for coaches and competitors in the commons.
Basic judge training in the coaches lounge.
07:45 am
Extemp draw at 7:45 in room 502. Sorry you'll miss the meeting.
08:00 – 09:45 am
Pattern A Round 1 – Extemp draw at 7:45 in room 502.
09:00
Policy Round 1 Begins
09:45 – 11:15 am
Pattern B Round 1
11:15 – 12:45 pm
Pattern A Round 2 – Extemp draw at 11:00 am
12:00
Policy Round 2 Begins
12:45 – 02:15 pm
Pattern B Round 2
02:15 – 03:45 pm
Pattern A Round 3 – Extemp draw at 2:00 pm
03:00
Policy Round 3 Begins
03:45 – 05:15 pm
Pattern B Round 3
05:15 – 06:45 pm
Finals Pattern A – Extemp draw at 5:00 pm, Open ADS finals in
auditorium.
ASAP/5:15
Policy Finals Begin
ASAP/6:00 pm
Finals Pattern B – We will start as early as possible – so watch postings
07:00 – 7:30 pm
Clean Up – We won't start until the commons are cleaned up.
7:45 pm
Awards in the Auditorium. We will try to start early if possible. 
Congress
Docket
Session 1
Lunch
Session 2
8:30 – 9:00 am – Setting the Docket
9:30 - 12:30 am
12:30 – 1:30 pm
1:30 – 4:30 pm
Reminders:
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Stay in the commons on the main campus. If you are caught somewhere else during the
competition such as in a classroom, auditorium etc. you may be disqualified. Do not go
upstairs unless you are competing in a round up there.
If you are doubled entered. You must let both judges know you are there. Failure to do so
could cause you to miss an event. Judges will not wait for you unless they know to expect
you! If you are in extemp, extra time will not be given (nor speaking order changed).
Enter at your own risk.
Do not take, eat or bring food out of the commons.
No food is allowed on the East Campus.
Do not take or borrow anything from any classroom.
Do not enter the room without a judge!
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Do not write on the board, especially a smart board. Please tell your judges your name or
write it on the ballot for them.
Check to see if Public Forum teams are listed correctly on your ballot.
Adapt! We have a lot of community judges.
Report problems to tab ASAP.
Double check entries before telling tab you are left off the postings.
Keep your area clean and don't leave anything valuable lying around.
ALL CHS students are expected to stay and help clean up after awards.
8. Overnight Tournaments: We will try to attend a few overnight tournaments
depending on our budget and the strength of our competitors. If your student
would like to attend these tournaments here are the general guidelines.
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Be an active team member
Must have followed all team rules
Helped at our home tournament in December
Helped with fundraising
Be academic eligible
Permission Forms/Academic Eligibility:
9. No student will be able to attend without a parent permission form filled out and
turned in prior to the tournament scheduled. One is enclosed in this letter. A few
other tournaments that require students to leave school early or stay overnight
may have a separate permission forms. The one enclosed is a general
permission form, which gives me permission to take your student to fieldtrips,
afterschool and weekend tournaments.
10. Students will also need to complete the athletic code of conduct form and will
held to the same standards as all athletes and other activities.
11. Students must maintain a 2.0 and no F’s in order to be academically eligible to
compete. Plans of assistance are available. Students need a 3.0 GPA in order to
attend tournaments that require missed school days or overnight stays. This is a
team requirement, which is higher than school standards.
Tournament Dress:
12. Tournament attire is relatively formal. Student should wear their nicer clothes. No
shorts, tee shirts, jeans are generally looked down upon. Skirts, slacks, dress
collar shirts, dresses etc. If you need help with this, Please contact Ms. LeSieur.
We have several students that are willing to share clothes. Many students wear
the same thing to each tournament so it is not necessary to purchase more than
one outfit.
Tournament Fees:
13. The team covers the cost of tournaments entry fees and transportation. However,
students will be expected to cover their own meals. Usually food is available
either at the tournament site or nearby. Students are encouraged to pack a
lunch and to bring food to share. Students are encouraged to bring homework
to work on during the “down” times of the tournament.
Additional Tournaments:
14. If students would like to attend a tournament not listed on the schedule they will
need to find a parent who is willing to chaperone and judge. The team might pay
registration fees and parent expenses (if the tournament is in the best interest for
the team and the individuals interested in attending). Generally, for overnight
tournaments, advance notice of 6-8 weeks is needed to get proper permission
forms into the district office and a background check completed on all
chaperones.
15. The speech and debate council is currently looking into attending an out of state
tournament other than nationals. Such as Berkeley, UNLV, Seattle Pacific etc.
Behavior Expectation:
16. Students are expected to be on their best behavior and follow the guidelines set
out by the district, school and coach. All other behavior should be guided by
general rules of courtesy, respect and the desire to protect our reputation as a
school and a team. If inappropriate behavior occurs, I will call the parents and
ask them to pick up their student at their own expense. Students failing to follow
the rules will receive school consequence, including: referrals and suspensions.
In addition, a separate team consequence could occur ranging from a week to a
two-month suspension from the team.
Student Drivers:
17. Students will not be allowed to drive with other students or other student’s
parents without prior permission. If you have not filled out a parent permission
form, please do so ASAP. If student wish to drive separately to a tournament
they need to let me know at least two days prior to the tournament.
Team Fees:
18. Students are asked to pay a one-time $15 National Speech and Debate
Association fee, usually within the first two months of attending tournaments.
This fee goes directly to NSDA which pays for a life-time membership, a
certificate and new seals as students advance in degrees.
19. All students who are active members of the team will need to pay the
bookkeeper $25 for the district team activity fee. This money goes directly to
the district and supports the team by paying for the activity bus gas, copies, etc.
20. Additional Fees: Each student needs to pay a team fee of $50 for the year. This
money will help pay for tournament entry fees, supplies and other costs
associated with the team.
21. Assistance for team fees is available. Please see Ms. LeSieur for resources.
Students may make monthly payments as needed.
22. Students attending overnight tournaments will need to pay for their hotel room.
Students on free or reduced lunch (or who have other circumstances) can have
this fee waived. Please see Ms. LeSieur with questions.
23. Fee Breakdown:
$200.00 NSDA on-time fee.
$25.00 District Fee (you still pay the bookkeeper and she sends it to the
district).
$50.00 Team Fee
$80-$90 Cost for joining the speech team which is a 8-10 month activity.
Parent Support:
24. To ensure a successful year, I am asking each parent/guardian to attend one
tournament per semester and help with judging. This would provide an extra
chaperone for the students and would cut our judging fees. Judging is easier
than you may think. We especially need parents at our home tournament on
December 6th, Districts in March, NSDA mid-March and State mid-April.
25. There are many other ways to help. Please review the following list:
a. Help at our home tournament (December 6th) in a variety of capacities.
b. Help at an after school practice. We hold practice Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 3:20 - 4:50 pm in room 502. Just listening to speeches
and giving feedback is very helpful.
c. Snacks for practice. Any non-perishable snacks are always needed.
Snacks always make practice more enjoyable!
d. We could always use more supplies (poster board, labels, USB disks,
laptops, tablets, hand sanitizer, etc). Please call Ms. LeSieur with specific
questions. Cash donations are always welcome and tax deductible.
 If your business or company might be interested in donating to our team
please let me know. It should be tax deductible and we would love to
honor them at our home tournament in December.
Team Leadership:
2014-2015
Speech Council
Speech Captain:
Debate Captain:
Secretary/Historian
Treasurer/Public Relations:
Jennie Jiang
Shawn Lee
AJ Moss
Amber Harvey
Competition Events:
Interpretive Events – for those who love drama!
Duo Interpretation
Duo Interpretation features two “actors” interpreting together one or more selections
from a single published source of prose, poetry, dramatic or humorous literature. Each
student may portray one or more character. And, only during the introduction is there
eye contact between the two speakers. The quality of literature will be an important
factor in determining placing. This is a memorized event. Time limit is ten minutes.
Dramatic Interpretation
Dramatic Interpretation features an “actor” interpreting one or more selections from a
single published source of prose or dramatic literature. The student may portray one or
more character. The quality of literature will be an important factor in determining
placing. This is a memorized event. Time limit is ten minutes.
Humorous Interpretation
Humorous Interpretation features an “actor” interpreting one or more selections from a
single published source of prose or humorous literature. The student may portray one
or more character. The quality of literature will be an important factor in determining
placing. This is a memorized event. Time limit is ten minutes.
Poetry
Interpretation of poetry consists of presenting three or more poetry selections that is
appropriate to the speaker, audience and has literary merit. The selections are
connected by either author or theme. The mood of this eight-minute presentation may
either be humorous or serious in nature. A thoughtful introduction and transition
between poems is necessary. The student will be judged on his or her ability to
emphasize the author's intent and purpose through use of vocal and physical
expression. Poise, manner, and appearance are also important.
Prose
The student is expected to read a selection from published material that is not from a
play or poetry and can be humorous or serious in nature. During the eight minute time
period, the speaker shall present the material, including an introduction, in such a
manner as to emphasize and clarify the meaning of the piece through use of vocal and
physical expression. Poise, manner, appearance, and appropriateness of the selection
are most important.
Unrehearsed Speaking
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous Speaking has great appeal to students who are interested in current
events and enjoy the challenge of a wide variety of speech topics. A “luck of the draw”
event. Speakers draw a question on a topic of national or international interest. During
a thirty- minute preparation period, competitors prepare a seven-minute speech that
answers a question.
Magazines, newspapers and other resource materials are used to add details, facts and
most importantly, support the position the speaker has taken on the issue at hand. This
event fosters societal and political awareness.
Impromptu
Impromptu speaking has appeal to students who are interested in pop cultural, current
events and interpreting quotes. During a 30 second prep period, the students will need
to select one of three quotes or words and then give a five minute speech analyzing the
topic. The ability to “think on one’s feet” is one of the skills that a student competing in
speech will develop.
Original Events
Expository
The purpose of expository or “informative” speaking is to provide the audience with a
greater understanding of a topic of interest. During the eight-minute speech, a speaker
is allowed to use visual aids to help clarify his or hers remarks, and must deliver the
speech from memory. Since the purpose of the speech is informative, not persuasive,
the style of delivery is often casual and with special emphasis on creating and
maintaining audience interest. No more than 100 quoted words are allowed.
Original Oratory
Original oratory requires a student to write and present a thoughtful and documented
ten-minute speech on a topic of current interest. The speech is researched and
memorized. No more than 100 quoted words are allowed.
Radio Commentary
A persuasive speech that is researched and previously written on a current topic and
read at the tournament. No more than 75 quoted words are allowed. The speech must
be between 4:45 and 5:15 minutes in length. The student reads the speech with their
backs to the judge.
After Dinner Speaking
The contestant presents an original memorized speech to entertain the audience
involving a central theme. The speech is not a comedy act or a series of jokes, but
rather a humorous look at a subject. A serious undertone should be present. This
speech is memorized and is 6 minutes in length.
Debate Events
Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln-Douglas debate, known by some previous debaters as value debate because
it’s focus is about morals and human rights. The Lincoln-Douglas Debate format is
named for the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen
A. Douglas.
Policy Debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two, debate whether or
not a specific policy action should be enacted. It is also referred to as cross-examination
debate because of the 3-minute questioning period following each constructive speech.
Most affirmative teams present a specific policy option, or plan, as a proposal for
implementation of the resolution. The negative team shows why the policy is not cost
effective, workable or a better option is available.
Public Forum “Ted Turner”
Public Forum Debate, sometimes called by its former names, Controversy Debate or
Ted Turner Debate, and sometimes called Crossfire Debate, is a relatively new style of
debate. Public Forum Debate can be compared to a nationally-televised debate, such
as Crossfire in which the debaters argue a topic of national importance in terms that a
"common" person would understand. Similar to Policy Debate, the debate in Public
Forum Debate is conducted by teams of two people, alternating speeches for their side.
Unlike Policy Debate, it is far more dependent on the speaking presentation of the
debater rather than the research skills of the speaker.
Parli Debate
Parli Debate is a persuasive style of debate based on the parliamentary system. A topic
of current political, economic or social significance is presented and debated by a
Proposition and an Opposition team. Each two member team receive the topic in the
form of a statement of resolution at the beginning of the round and are given fifteen
minutes of prep time. No outside resource materials other than a dictionary can be
used. This requires that debaters have a broad knowledge base of current events and
base their arguments on premises of logic rather than evidence.
Student Congress:
In Congressional Debate, high school students emulate members of the United States
Congress by debating bills and resolutions. Before the event, each school submits mock
legislation to each tournament. After the legislation has been compiled, it is distributed
to each participating team. Each team attempts to research as many topics as possible,
with the goal of being able to speak on both sides of every legislation.
Wrap-Up:
The team season begins at the end of September (Tigard Workshop) and ends for most
students in April. This gives students time to develop their speeches, learn about their
events and most importantly compete.
We value each opinion, idea and
If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at School (503) 353-5810 x
38057. Cell (503) 597-9734. I will keep the cell phone off while I’m judging so only call if
it is important. You may also reach me by e-mail: lesieurj@nclack.k12.or.us
Jennifer L. LeSieur
Director of Forensics
Ameena Amdahl-Mason
Co-Director of Forensics
Lawrence Burke Volunteers
What to turn in:
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This page
Activity Participation Form
General Field Trip Form
Any fees to CHS bookkeeper (students are always allowed to attend two
tournaments before officially joining NSDA or the team).
Parent Signature: _____________________________________________________
Student Signature: ____________________________________________________
I am able to help in the following capacities:
o Driving students to and from tournaments as needed – a copy of your license
and insurance card is required along with a background check. See Ms. LeSieur
for forms.
o Helping at our tournament on 12/6/14 please circle all that apply:
o general help
o concessions
o judging
o room checker/end of the day room cleaner
o Listening to student speeches after school, helping with visual aids, debate critic
etc. Volunteering once a month covers your judging obligation for the year.
o Snacks for practice
o Other please let me know