The student-led North Atlanta Speech Debate Team is a hub for some of the school’s best, brightest and most argumentative students in the building. Debate serves as a much-needed source of mental relief after long days for students. Every Wednesday in room 1116, you will find a room full of eager Warriors practicing, preparing and working hard in preparation for their time to shine.

In the speech and debate world, this “time to shine” is your moment onstage performing and proving months of work well worth the wait. Those involved compete head-to-head with opposing student participants in hopes of winning their division. Leading up to tournaments, students prepare a piece corresponding with their preferred field of speech or debate.

The two main subdivisions of speech and debate, naturally, are speech and debate. But, students are offered a plethora of different options within the two. Some of the most popular include: Policy, a debate in which students argue the validity of certain global policies, Impromptu, a speech event in which students are given a choice of topics and given seven minutes to create a speech on their chosen subject, and Duo Interpretation, a speech event in which two students work together to perform a dramatic or humorous dialogue.

Team members say they are gaining confidence through their participation. “You learn how to be a more outspoken, intelligent and individualistic person,” said freshman Emily Song.

Contrary to popular belief, Speech and Debate is more than a string of arguments between its debaters. A student interested in acting might find a perfect fit in the Duo Interpretation format, while others may feel better placed in a more academic category like Policy.

North Atlanta Speech and Debate Team started in August and members participated in their first tournament on Nov. 18 at Grady High School. The club’s faculty adviser is social studies teacher James Jones.