Heading to State in April, junior Summer Anderson placed seventh at the Missouri High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) District 1 Tournament in the Original Oratory category. Original Oratory is a public speaking category where a student presents a compelling, self-written speech on a topic of their choice.
Anderson chose to discuss the issue in the foster care system.
“My topic is improving the foster care system. I chose this topic because it’s a current issue in Missouri,” Anderson said.
Even though this is only her second year on the team, Anderson is already qualifying for State. Anderson said that she is proud of herself and that this is an accomplishment she didn’t see herself having.
“[Qualifying for state] feels great because I never thought I would be able to do this. Because at first, I was really bad at [public speaking],” Anderson said.
Anderson is the first ever Rockwood Summit student to take on state. Speech and Debate coach Vicky Voss said that she is extremely proud and impressed with Anderson.
“[Anderson qualifying for state] is so exciting. [She has set] an example to show kids that anything is possible with practice and perseverance. If other kids see what she’s done, then maybe that will make them interested in [stepping out of their comfort zone] too,” Voss said.
With a passion for law, Anderson said that joining the Speech and Debate club would help develop her speech giving skills for her future.
“I want to go into law, [so] I know I have to do a lot of public speaking. I just wanna prepare myself for that,” Anderson said.
Preparing to give a speech in front of a large audience can be very nerve-racking. Anderson said the best advice she can give to students is to stay consistent. Consistency will make students feel more confident when delivering public speeches.
“I [like to practice my speech] every night, at least once a night. Just practice, [practice], practice,” Anderson said.
Being involved with Speech, a student has a variety of topics that they can personally choose from. Anderson explains the variety of topics that she has chosen over the past two years she has been on the team .
“We get to pick our own topics, then we’ll talk about our topics and [things] that’s going with it. [For example, if] it is really recent we’ll talk about [the] news [and more] going around the topic. [The team will] help each other with the research,” Anderson said.
Preparing as a club is all about teamwork and supporting each other. Anderson explains that during club meetings the coach and club members are focused on improving their personal and their teammates’ speeches.
“Our coach will [practice] one on one and watch our speech or debate. [Our coach] gives us lots of feedback and we’ll watch each other’s and give each other’s feedback. [We will even do] judge sheets,” Anderson said.
As of now, the Speech and Debate club has very few members. Voss said anyone who joins the club will be able to explore and expand their knowledge.
“[Speech and Debate is] a really fun club. It’s at your own pace and your own time. There are a lot of selections to choose from; you can do poetry, informative, original oratory [like Summer, and more]. There’s a lot of opportunities out there, just getting kids [to] do it once would [make them] realize that it’s something attainable and [something] they could enjoy,” Voss said.
