Saxon Speech and Debate News

  • Saxon Speech and Debate News will keep the community aware of our good news, upcoming dates and dealines, and opportunities to help this team continue our tradition of excellence here at Ferris. Check back here for the latest or email dansj@spokaneschools.org with specific questions.

  • Mt. Spokane Feline Frenzy Schedule

    2021 Feline Frenzy Schedule 

     

     Friday, Dec. 3  SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE ROUNDS 

    3:30PM Debate Round 1 

    3:30PM Congress Session 1

    5:30PM Debate Round 2 

    6:30PM Congress Session 2 

    7:30PM Debate Round 3 

     

    Saturday, Dec. 4 IN PERSON COMPETITION AT MT. SPOKANE HS 

    6:45 AM On site check in begins

    7:15 AM Extemp Prep 

    7:30 AM IE Round 1

    8:45 AM Debate Round 4 

    8:45 AM Congress Session 3A (1 hr) 

    10:30 AM Extemp Prep 

    10:45 AM IE Round 2

    12:00PM Debate Round 5/ Congress Session 3B (1 hr) 

    1:45PM Extemp Prep 

    2:00PM IE Round 3

    3:15PM Debate Quarter Finals/ Congress Super Session A 

    5:00PM Extemp Prep 

    5:15PM IE Finals 

    6:30PM Debate Semi Finals / Congress Super Session B

    8:00PM Awards
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  • September 16 - Saxon Debate Newsletter

    The school year is underway, and the energy in Speech and Debate is great!  It is so nice to be back in the classroom with the students and to be able watch them interact, laugh, and learn.  Despite the 7AM start time, students are showing up ready to learn and willing to take risks as they develop their public speaking, reasearch, and argumentation skills.

    The first couple of weeks allowed the varsity members to dust off the work they started in the spring and novices to get some debate basics.  Currently in week three, we are getting into focused speech and debate groups, exploring topics areas, and planning the work ahead.  As coaches, it is great to see the leadership of the returning team members as we get to the work of preparing for tournaments.

    Parent Night

    Last night, 9/15, we had a parent night to begin introducing ourselves and what exactly Saxon Speech and Debate entails.  Most of the information was just an introduction to the facets of speech and debate, the class, the schedule of tournaments, parent support of the team, travel, and the fall retreat.  The link to the powerpoint that guided the meeting can be found here: Parent Night PPT. Please look through it and email any questions to dansj@spokaneschools.org or kylere@spokaneschools.org.

    Tournament Schedule

    The tournament schedule can be found on Saxon Debate home page or by following this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_OdmiEVE_6P1OpxVWlDg_nYs0UNo4N_eEI1crI9-xmk/edit?usp=sharing

    When viewing the schedule, only the highlighted dates are expected of team members.  The other dates are optional travel or online tournaments.  Although it is the sincere hope that team members attend all GSL tournaments, busy schedules and unmoveable conflicts occur.  Please check calendars and communicate conflicts as soon as possible.  We know that these talented kids are involved in many activities, and we hope that time can be shared fairly amongst all of them.

    Fall Retreat

    The Debate Fall Retreat will be October 15-17.  At the start of October, a specific itinerary and schedule of events as well as a permission slip will be sent home.  This retreat focuses on team-building, speech and debate skills, as well as practice rounds and performances.  This is one of the most important opportunities we have for the team and building individual skills.

    Protocols and policies that we will follow can be found here: Retreat Guidelines

    Thanks for all of the support and encouragement so early in our season.  We will be in touch soon with more information and opportunities!

    Dan Sjolund - dansj@spokaneschools.org

    Kyle Reum - kylere@spokaneschools.org

     

     

    Beginning of School Newsletter!

    Welcome to the start of another year and season of Saxon Speech and Debate!  We are excited to welcome so many new members and to reconnect with the amazing teammates that we had the privilege of working with during last year's unique online season.

    Last year we were the top GSL team in each of the tournaments that we attended, we won the GSL title in Speech and in Debate, we were State Champions and the 2nd Place team in Policy Debate, placed 2nd in State Debate Sweepstakes as a team, and qualified for and participated in the Tournament of Champions hosted by the University of Kentucky.  What an amazing season!  All of this despite the challenges and obstacles in our path as we converted to an online format and lost out on the opportunities to connect and bond as a team.  We are all proud of the perseverance and dedication of our Saxon Debaters!!

    A couple of times a month (or so) we will update the Saxon Debate Community with a newsletter that celebrates our efforts and successes, introduces the team and what we do, highlights upcoming events and obligations, and list ways in which we could use community support.  Should you ever need more information or answers to a specific question, please do not hesitate to contact Coach Dan Sjolund directly at dansj@spokaneschools.org.

    Start of the Year

    Thursday, September 2nd and Friday, September 3rd - New and returning Debaters are invited to join us in room M019 (Debate room) to meet teammates and coaches and to begin to get to know each other a little bit better.  Like the normal 0-hour class time, the room will be open by 7:00AM. Please join us if you can make it!!

    Tuesday, September 7th - This will be the first official day of Speech and Debate class.  Students should plan to be in class and ready to go by 7:00AM.  We will release at 7:50, a little sooner that the traditional 55-minute class, so students have a chance to socialize and make there way to 1st period.  Breakfast foods and drinks are more that acceptable in class.

    The Debate season of tournaments does not begin until late October.  More information will follow regarding tournament schedules, bus times, and paperwork.

    Fall Retreat

    October 15-17 we will have our Fall Retreat at Camp Reed.  This retreat focuses on team building and preparation for the competitive season.  Staff and coaches will work with groups of students to finalize speeches and cases. We will also utilize the YMCA ropes course as part of our community building.  This retreat is a great way for team members to get the individualized help they need and to connect with their fellow debaters.  Specific details will be given in advance.

    Schedule

    Although the schedule cannot be 100% finalized until the fall coaches meeting in September, the tentative schedule is available on the Saxon Debate website.  GSL tournaments are held after school Friday and all day on Saturday.  There is no fee for GSL tournaments.  All fees are paid by the team through our fundraising efforts, help from PTG, and our ASB budget.  Travel tournaments and online tournaments are not required and more information on those schedules will be released ASAP.

    How to Get Involved

    We will have a parent meeting prior to Ferris Open House night.  At this meeting we will provide information on how to become more involved through options like team food for tournaments, fundraising, organizing part of our tournament at Ferris, and much more.  It really does take a community to make this great program work!  Specific meeting dates TBA.

    Meet the Team

    Normally this section of the newsletter would be a chance to get to know the team members and the good work that we are doing.  We will kick things off by introducing the first two coaches, Dan Sjolund and Kyle Reum.

    Dan Sjolund (Head Coach) - I have been Coaching Speech and Debate at Ferris for 18 years and teaching English for 20.  Currently I teach Debate, Mythology, and Freshman English.  My role on the team is a bit like a general manager.  We will have multiple assistant and volunteer coaches working with individual speech and debate types, and my job is to keep the team functioning and to make sure that the experience is positive for all of the team members and coaches.  I have taught most of my assistants and coaches and am comfortable providing specialized help for all.  Along with Kyle Reum, my assistant coach, I design the in-class learning goals and experiences.

    Kyle Reum (Assistant Coach) - Kyle has coached or volunteered for the team since he graduated from Ferris.  Kyle has a deep knowledge of multiple debate formats as well as general argumentation and in-round strategies.  Kyle specializes in working with groups of debaters to create speeches and cases that are not only internally sound but also tailored to match the expectations of a variety of audiences and judges.  Currently attending Eastern Washington University, Kyle brings a wealth of philosophical insight and current political strategy and knowledge to the team.

    Wishing you all a happy start to the new school year!  Go Saxons!!