Dear Speech and Debate Families,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Speech and Debate season!
We welcome all new team members. For returning students and families, you are already familiar with this wonderful activity and all that it offers both inside and outside of class. For those of you who are new, this is an exciting journey and we are so glad you are becoming part of our organization. I firmly believe that Speech and Debate is the best extra-curricular activity available to high school students. It provides so much more than strong speaking skills, although it does do this and does it well! Speech and Debate students ultimately become better readers and writers. They develop critical thinking skills that will set them apart; their research skills are refined and unsurpassed. They learn how to manage their time wisely and efficiently. All of these strengths help them become better students and they often begin earning higher grades. Research even shows that they out-perform their peers on standardized tests. Additionally, Speech and Debate provides a built-in support structure of friends and mentors. Students frequently form life-long friendships with other speech students, some from other schools in Colorado or even with competitors outside the state. Lastly, colleges and universities have indicated that Speech and Debate is the number one activity they consider when determining which candidates to admit.
In the 10+ years I have been at GW, the team has come a long way. In the fall of 2006, my first year, there was barely enough new interest to fill two classes. Today, there are five very full classes and GW is recognized as both a state and national powerhouse. In the Spring of 2011, two of our GW graduates, Sam Clark and Miles Owens, captured the national title in Policy (CX) Debate and won the National Forensic League NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. We are also excited to announce that at both the 2017 and 2018 Nationals, Tanner Hemmingsen took home 2nd in the nation in Storytelling and Humorous Interpretation respectively. The 2019 Nationals tournament was also a high point as McKenna Daly won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in Expository speaking. Tanner Hemmingsen placed 8th in Humorous Interpretation and 2nd in Storytelling, and Avery Williams took home 4th in Dramatic Interpretation. In addition George Washington took home the honor of having the largest number of qualifiers from one school entered into the national tournament and we left with a team award placing us in the top ten in the nation.
We are very proud of these achievements and look forward to adding to them.
The success of our team would not have been possible without the tremendous support of students and their families. In fact, I was initially attracted to the job at GW because I could sense something special about the parents and students I met during my interview. Now I can say that without a doubt the parents and students are the reason I have chosen to stay at GW and are why I look forward to all of my speech classes and tournaments. I still definitely need all of your help and support. Some may think we have “arrived,” and no longer need assistance, but in many ways the work has just begun. With budget cuts and not much support from the district, we need everyone’s efforts in order to continue to grow and move forward. Please consider helping where and when you can. We are always in need of judges - it is not as daunting or scary as it may sound! Consider volunteering to help on a committee or at one of our events. I understand that everyone has different constraints on their time and may be pulled in any number of directions, but if possible, look at doing what works for you and your schedule.
Please know that I am passionate about this program and will do all that I can for my students. I want all of them to flourish and enjoy the activity of Speech and Debate as much as I do. Feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns throughout the year.
Maryrose Kohan
Speech and Debate Coach
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Speech and Debate season!
We welcome all new team members. For returning students and families, you are already familiar with this wonderful activity and all that it offers both inside and outside of class. For those of you who are new, this is an exciting journey and we are so glad you are becoming part of our organization. I firmly believe that Speech and Debate is the best extra-curricular activity available to high school students. It provides so much more than strong speaking skills, although it does do this and does it well! Speech and Debate students ultimately become better readers and writers. They develop critical thinking skills that will set them apart; their research skills are refined and unsurpassed. They learn how to manage their time wisely and efficiently. All of these strengths help them become better students and they often begin earning higher grades. Research even shows that they out-perform their peers on standardized tests. Additionally, Speech and Debate provides a built-in support structure of friends and mentors. Students frequently form life-long friendships with other speech students, some from other schools in Colorado or even with competitors outside the state. Lastly, colleges and universities have indicated that Speech and Debate is the number one activity they consider when determining which candidates to admit.
In the 10+ years I have been at GW, the team has come a long way. In the fall of 2006, my first year, there was barely enough new interest to fill two classes. Today, there are five very full classes and GW is recognized as both a state and national powerhouse. In the Spring of 2011, two of our GW graduates, Sam Clark and Miles Owens, captured the national title in Policy (CX) Debate and won the National Forensic League NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. We are also excited to announce that at both the 2017 and 2018 Nationals, Tanner Hemmingsen took home 2nd in the nation in Storytelling and Humorous Interpretation respectively. The 2019 Nationals tournament was also a high point as McKenna Daly won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in Expository speaking. Tanner Hemmingsen placed 8th in Humorous Interpretation and 2nd in Storytelling, and Avery Williams took home 4th in Dramatic Interpretation. In addition George Washington took home the honor of having the largest number of qualifiers from one school entered into the national tournament and we left with a team award placing us in the top ten in the nation.
We are very proud of these achievements and look forward to adding to them.
The success of our team would not have been possible without the tremendous support of students and their families. In fact, I was initially attracted to the job at GW because I could sense something special about the parents and students I met during my interview. Now I can say that without a doubt the parents and students are the reason I have chosen to stay at GW and are why I look forward to all of my speech classes and tournaments. I still definitely need all of your help and support. Some may think we have “arrived,” and no longer need assistance, but in many ways the work has just begun. With budget cuts and not much support from the district, we need everyone’s efforts in order to continue to grow and move forward. Please consider helping where and when you can. We are always in need of judges - it is not as daunting or scary as it may sound! Consider volunteering to help on a committee or at one of our events. I understand that everyone has different constraints on their time and may be pulled in any number of directions, but if possible, look at doing what works for you and your schedule.
Please know that I am passionate about this program and will do all that I can for my students. I want all of them to flourish and enjoy the activity of Speech and Debate as much as I do. Feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns throughout the year.
Maryrose Kohan
Speech and Debate Coach
