UK to Host State High School Speech and Debate Championships

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 13, 2012) — The University of Kentucky will host the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) State Championship Speech and Debate Tournaments this month.

The two tournaments, for the league’s senior and junior divisions, will bring some 700 young people from across Kentucky to UK for four days of intense public speaking competition. The senior tournament (grades 9-12) will take place March 22-24; the junior tournament (grades 5-8) will be March 30-31.

Kentucky’s oldest interscholastic public speaking organization, KHSSL has returned to UK after three decades at Western Kentucky University. 

"The league is thrilled to return to UK," said Executive Director William Cooper. "I know that the university will put on a great show for our competitors, their coaches and parents."

Each tournament features competition in a number of public speaking events. The extemporaneous speaking event requires young people to prepare a seven-minute speech in 30 minutes, addressing a question of current affairs. In the dramatic interpretation event, each competitor seeks to make a piece of literature "come alive," using voice, gesture, expression, and body movement.

The senior tournament will also feature four kinds of debate. Policy debate focuses this year on what, if anything, the United States should do regarding the development of space.  The Lincoln-Douglas debate requires students to focus on moral and ethical issues; this tournament’s topic is "targeted killing as a foreign policy tool." The Public Forum debate dives into topics "ripped from the headlines," and this year, students will argue over preserving aid to Pakistan.  Finally, in Student Congress, students argue the pros and cons of a series of proposed laws, usually geared to the federal level.

Cooper, who was appointed director last August, is also a lecturer in the Division of Instructional Communication, teaching CIS 110 and 111. He comes to UK most recently from Manchester Essex Regional High School in Massachusetts, having coached speech and debate there and in New Jersey since 1997.  

"This position is a tremendous fit for both my interests and my experiences," he said. "It allows me to make a significant difference, not just with one program, but with many." 

Cooper says he hopes to foster significant growth in the league in upcoming years.

"But first, we get to host State," he said. "The State Tournament is the culmination of a year’s hard work for students from around the Commonwealth.  And UK is going to be a stellar place to hold this important tournament."

The Kentucky High School Speech League is the Commonwealth’s oldest interscholastic forensics organization.  Now hosted by the University of Kentucky, KHSSL works with schools and coaches to provide national-quality public speaking educational and competitive opportunities for students in grades 5 though 12 from every walk of life in all parts of the Commonwealth.

MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, (859) 323-2396; keith.hautala@uky.edu