THE ECHO

by Malak Marzak

The search for a fun, academic team hereby ends with the introduction of Avon’s Speech and Debate team.

After holding their annual callout meeting on Aug. 9, the Speech and Debate team is about to enter their fifth year. The teams head coaches, Linda Langford, and the newly appointed Nathan Lex, are preparing for the upcoming season with a batch of new, experienced captains.

“What I look forward to each season is always the same: I love to watch students use their voice to bring light to topics they believe is important,” Langford said.

Speech and Debate’s purpose is to give students a voice through the 15 different categories that students can compete in. Additionally, students can meet new friends. Discussion Captain Sienna Lister, a junior, competes in an event where you are in a room with six other people. Six new opportunities to make friends.

“I feel like the Speech and Debate team is really fun because it’s kind of like a track team, we’re not a club, we really are a team,” Lister said.

While there are various components that makeup Speech and Debate, they are a single team of 126 determined members. The seniors will be the 2nd class who’ve competed every year of high school due to the team’s youth. Congress Captain Andrew Onochie, a junior, has competed in Speech and Debate every year of high school.

“I chose Speech and Debate so that I can better myself as a person when it comes to speaking and confidence, and it’s truly something that over my two years–about to be three–I’ve truly just seen a tremendous growth in myself,” Onochie said.

As the team prepares to enter competition season, Langford reminds the students of what’s important when being on any team.

“While the ribbons and trophies are nice, the relationships with students and coaches are why we do this,” said Langford.