About Us
MEYERS
SPEECH & DEBATE 2016-17
The Meyers Speech & Debate team is open to all
Meyers students because it is the belief of the team that everyone can benefit
from experience in forensics. The team participates in a wide variety of
forensic events and activities throughout the year. What follows is a
description of how the team operates, which, along with our Mission Statement,
explains the principles upon which the team is based.
Communications
Because none of the coaches work at Meyers,
information about the team cannot be easily transferred there. We can't pull you
out of class and you can't drop in on us in our classrooms. Intercom
announcements are not usually practical for us. Therefore, we rely on our
website
(www.meyersspeechanddebate.com)
postcards, e-mail, Twitter and the phone. It is very important that you keep us
informed of your current and correct address, telephone number and your e-mail
address, if you have one. You can reach us, Ruth and Kim Borland, at our address
(71 West River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702); our phone (822-3311 days and
357-4860 and 357-5334 evenings and weekends); and, at our email addresses (kborland@borlandandborland.com
and rborland@borlandandborland.com). Our cell phones have voice mail and we
ask that you leave detailed messages when you call. If you go a period of time
without hearing from us, that may mean that our communications to you have been
misdirected and you should get in touch with us. Our
Twitter account is @MeyersDebate.
Events
There are many varied speech & debate events and
we encourage our members to find forensic events that suit them. The primary
emphasis in forensics is upon development of public speaking ability.
Members who wish to compete in a partnered speech event must also
be prepared in an individual event so that a partner's unavailability will not
prevent the member from competing at a tournament. Because it is a good learning
experience and because often there are only limited slots for each event at
tournaments, each member, once past the beginning stage, is encouraged to be
prepared to compete in more than one event.
Practices
Practices will normally be held each Monday and
Thursday during the school year at Meyers, beginning at 7pm and ending at 9pm,
except during November and December, when there will be no regularly scheduled
Thursday practices. Practices and practice schedule changes will be noticed by
postcard, Twitter, the web-site and e-mail. If you have any question about the
timing or location of practices, get in touch with us. Should you have
transportation problems regarding practice, let us know and we will try to help.
The coaches will schedule times to work with you alone to make up missed
practice opportunities, when convenient.
Practices are for the purpose of skill
development, performance and feedback from the coaches. However, we expect you
to be practicing and working on your events between practices. If you are not
prepared for practice with the assignments you have been given, you may not be
coached at practice and may be excused from it. Practice is not the time or the
place to search for material to perform or to do research generally. At
practices you should be either performing your material in a room or serving as
a critical audience as other members are performing their material in a room. It
is expected that you will be present for the entire practice period. If you have
a special circumstance, let the Borlands know and we will try to schedule you
accordingly.
Tournaments
We compete at tournaments at different places and
at different levels of skill throughout the year. Some tournaments require
competitors to have qualified by having successfully competed at some earlier,
qualifying tournament. Others have only a limited number of slots a school may
register. Therefore, which members will be invited to compete at which
tournaments in which events will necessarily be a decision made by the coaches
based upon the level of preparation and performance demonstrated by the various
members who want to compete. To be considered to compete at a tournament, you
must complete the tournament registration request form for that tournament. You
will be eligible to be registered to compete at a tournament only if you were
ready to compete in your event, in the opinion of the coaches, at the time we
registered for the tournament. Even then opportunities to compete at any
tournament are not automatic and will be based upon the discretion of head
coaches, taking into consideration the nature of the tournament and your level
of preparation, skill and commitment. You must be at least a freshman to be
eligible to compete at a tournament involving overnight travel. With respect to
competition at overnight fravel tournaments, we expect the highest level of
preparation and commitment, which means regular participation at practices and
non-travel tournaments, which level must be maintained between time of
registration and time of competition. In particular, those who compete at
overnight travel tournaments are expected to compete at league and qualifier
tournaments. All members are expected to compete at the tournament we host, the
Dr. Martin Luther King Open, third Saturday of each January.
Tournaments are almost always on Saturdays. Most
tournaments begin around 8 am and many require significant travel, such as to
Philadelphia, so you need to be prepared to be up and at it early in the
morning. These also are all day events and, depending on travel, you may not be
returning until very late Saturday evening. Registrations for some tournaments
are made as long as months in advance, but for most, registrations are made
about within a week of the tournament Registration to compete at a tournarnent
is binding on your part. Aside from illness, there will be no acceptable excuse
for cancellation or failing to attend. Not only must the team pay an entry fee
for each individual registration at most tournaments, it must also pay a penalty
for every registrant who does not compete. For members who compete in the
partnered events, dramatic duo and policy and public forum debate, this
commitment is particularly important to your partner as well as the team in
general. If you are not sure whether you will be able to compete at the time
your registration commitment is expected, don't register. In particular, if you
need to clear your commitment to compete at a particular tournament with your
parent or parents and you haven't done so by the time your registration
commitment is expected, don't register.
Your registration to compete at a qualifier is
also your commitment to compete at the tournament for which the qualifier is
held. Accordingly, you must not register for a qualifier, if you are unable to
commit to compete, or haven't cleared with your parents your commitment to
compete, at the tournament for which the qualifier is held.
Awards of
Letters and Senior Honors
To recognize our most committed and outstanding
members, letters are awarded annually, at the discretion of the coaches.
Generally, letters are awarded to members who have achieved a minimum of 75
credit points that year pursuant to the National Forensics League, a copy of
which point schedule is attached, or have competed that year in at least two
thirds of the tournaments for which that member's grade was eligible, exclusive
of national or state tournaments for which one must qualify. Although seventh
and eighth grade members are not eligible to earn NFL points, for purpose of
letter eligibility, points will be maintained. Lettering seniors who have earned
NFL membership are also eligible for additional NFL honors at graduation. The
grant of a letter or other award is conditioned upon being a member in good
standing on the team at the end of the season and the member(s compliance with
the rules of the team during the season.
Mission Statement of the Meyers Speech & Debate
Team
It is the mission of the Meyers Speech & Debate
Team to promote among the students of the E. L. Meyers Junior/Senior High School
the development of oral communications skills; critical thinking; appreciation
of literature and the spoken word; performance of the spoken word;
argumentation; understanding and appreciation of civics and public affairs; and,
respect and appreciation for the beliefs, opinions and talents of others.
We believe that this mission is best accomplished
by encouraging all students at Meyers to participate in a program which includes
speech and debate competition with students from other places and to observe and
participate in variety of dramatic and public affairs speech and debate
activities.
We believe that for an individual student to
realize the benefit of this program, the student needs to work toward the
improvement of his or her talents with regard to oral communication performance,
critical thinking and argumentation by practice; observation; and, the making
and receiving of thoughtful and considerate criticism.
NFL Membership and Degrees
Points
Certificate Diploma
Insignia
Degree
Required Fee
Seal Seal Votes Jewels
Merit........................ .25 $10.00
White None 1 None
Honor...................... . .75 None* Bronze
Bronze 2 Emerald
Excellence.............. ..150 None* Silver
Silver 3 Sapphire
Distinction.............. .250 None*
Gold Gold 4 Ruby
Special
Distinctio... 500 None*
Rose Rose 5 2 Rubies
Superior
Distinction. 750 None* Blue Blue 6 3 Rubies
Outstanding Distinction.1000 None* Purple Purple 7 4 Rubies
* A $10.00
fee is requires for life membership. No additional fees are required for
advanced degrees.
Credit Point Schedule
Intersholastic Debates and Lincoln/Douglas Debates
Winning debates 6 points and no-decision, 3
points. Graded debates: Highest grade 6, others 3.
Interscholastic Contests
Each round in a tournament is regarded as a separate contest and points awarded
according to rank received. No extra points are awarded to the over-all
winner.
1st 2nd 3rd or A 4th or B 5th or C Other
Original*............ 6 5 4 3 2 1
Interpretation**... 5 4
3 2 1 1
Other speech contests**. 4 3 2 1 1 1
If only four schools compete in the contest, points shall be reduced by one; if
only three schools, by two; no points for a two-school contest.
*Original Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory, Expository, Informative,
Persuasive.
**Interpretation: Dramatic, Humorous, Oratorical, Declamation, Poetry, Prose,
Duo Interp.
***Other contests: After-Dinner, Impromptu, Book Review, Four-minute Speaking,
Salesmanship, Demonstration, Story Telling, Voice of Democracy, Radio, T.V.
No points are given for participation in plays, duet acting, group reading, or
TV or radio dramas
Service Projects
Audience speaking earns
points in addition to any contest points that day.
Any speech, discussion,
debate, oration memorized presentation, interpretation, Radio and TV announcing
at least four minutes in length and of a quality approved by the instructor
receives points:
Audience
Speaker Points
High School Assembly........... Any
Student...................................1
Twenty Five or more Adults.
Non-Member.................................1
or NFL
member..................................2
Radio or TV (Channel or
Call Letters)........... Honor degree
member................3
Excellence degree member........4
Distinction degree
member.......5
Degrees must be on record in the national office before
advanced points may be awarded.
Student Congress and Group Speaking
In legislative assemblies or practice congresses, with at least four schools
participating, an official scorer may award up to six points for each speach
(presiding for one hour is scored as one speech), but shall not exceed 120
points for each hour a house is in session. If no scorer has been
appointed every coach may award each of his/her students up to 24 points, but
not more than six points for each speech nor the same number of points to more
than two students. These points must be reported in service/group
speaking. Discussion participants are ranked or rated and must report
points in service/group speaking based upon the point schedule for "other speech
contests." Mock Trial decisions are won/loss and must be reported in
service/group speaking using the debate point schedule. Each trial
participant receives points for each trial.
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