Join the Pattonville Speech & Debate family today!
Why should you join Speech & Debate?
Have fun & make friends. Pattonville Speech & Debate is a family. We support each other and everyone is welcome. Find your voice. No matter what issues you care about most, speech & debate will empower you and help you find your voice.
"Debate means everything to me. It has been the source of great joy, friends, and wisdom for my 4 years. Room A214 is my home." —Aaron Mansdoerfer, Class of 2016
"To me, Speech & Debate means great memories with great people." —Brittany Strasburger, Class of 2019
“I fell in love with debate. I formed friendships stronger than I ever had before, having found a niche that seemed to fit me just right.” —Sam Riggs, Class of 2017 "Debate means family, and family means no one gets left behind!" —Olivia Mercer, Class of 2018
Raise test scores. Score higher on standardized tests, like the ACT and SAT.
Improve grades. Reading, writing, & critical thinking skills help in all classes. Boost confidence. Enhance empathy, confidence, teamwork, & resilience — important skills for the future.
Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, Bruce Springsteen, Jared Padalecki, Hillary Clinton, Chadwick Boseman. These famous people, and many more, got their start on their high school speech & debate teams. Are you next?
Form lifelong friendships. Social bonding is a unique aspect of speech and debate. Because tournaments are on weekends, we spend spend time together collaborating, talking, playing games, and meeting students from other schools. Each year, we attend at least two out-of-town tournaments, and traveling as a team is a fun tradition that students look forward to all semester. Speech & Debate is a welcoming, diverse community — it is a home-away-from-home for all students.