PCEF donors have been supporting Speech and Debate for 12 years!
“I just wanted to be a better speaker. Before, I was very shy, and very timid. And, I feel like this has just made me a better speaker overall.” -Lila Gabbay, PCHS Speech & Debate Team answering the question as to why she joined the team.
The Park City High School Speech and Debate team is thriving, and they just capped off their season with the best possible outcome – winning the State Championship tournament! This win makes the team back-to-back state champions, after now claiming the title two years in a row.
With the support of a PCEF Classroom Grant, funded by generous donors, the Speech and Debate Team has the necessary resources to help students develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and compete at the highest level under the leadership of Educator and Coach, Anna Williams. Williams first got involved in the program years ago when her youngest daughter shined as a debater at the high school. Now, she helps lead one of the top programs in Utah alongside coaches, Preston Knutson, Mark Parker, Gavin Serr and Alex O’Brien. Both Gavin and Alex are highly-decorated former PCHS debaters whose desire is to give back to the program that fundamentally guided them to pursue Economics and International Relations at the University of Utah.
Prior to the state tournament, we had a chance to catch up with Anna at the high school to learn a little more about what the training process leading up to a big competition looks like, and we were lucky enough to talk with several students from the nearly 50-member PCHS Speech and Debate Team.
“Come on in and see what they’re doing,” Anna pointed to three separate classrooms, each with a team of debate students tapped into a different event ranging from Lincoln Douglas to Student Congress and Public Forum.
We first walked into a Mock Student Congress session where student-created bills are written, proposed, and debated. The presentation was fast-paced and direct. As we observed, one student stood up to question and poke holes in proposed legislation that had just been persuasively presented, simulating what felt like the very real political climate of congressional debates. Several others took their turns to present counterclaims.
While watching, Anna smiled and said proudly, “These are high school students doing this work,” referencing the level of background, research, and knowledge students have to master on each subject in order to introduce and debate the issues on the floor.
Beyond Student Congress, students take part in other debate formats, each requiring a unique set of skills. We peeked into the next two rooms, both Public Forum, one of which was discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the other, Education. In all three of the debate classrooms, students were laser-focused on their topics and passionate in their delivery. None of them were even slightly fazed by the interruption of us walking in and out of their sessions.
In wrapping up our tour, we made one final stop to talk with several Speech students as they prepared to inform, persuade, and entertain audiences during the competition. Sophomore, Lila Gabbay who focuses on Informative Speech told us, “I do Informatives, and my favorite part of Speech and Debate is going to the competitions and learning about other people’s topics. That’s my favorite part of it, is just learning and making friends.”
When asked what made her want to join the team, she said, "Actually, a lot of people here want to be lawyers, but I don’t. I just wanted to be a better speaker. Before, I was very shy, and very timid. And, I feel like this has just made me a better speaker overall. My neighbor is on the team, and my best friend also does it, too. It’s going to set you up well for whatever you decide to do.” Lila has given four Informative Speeches this season, focusing on the topic of Evolution.
Lila’s experience reflects the team’s broader approach to refining speeches throughout the season. Students typically meet weekly after school during competition season, working together incorporating peer feedback, and with coaches to fine-tune and adjust whether editing for time, building a bridge for a better transition, or organizing key points of focus.
Student Porter Hoffman, described how the Impromptu Speech category works a bit differently, as participants start from scratch at every competition. “You’re given three topics to choose from. You choose one of them and have to speak about it for five minutes with two minutes of prep time beforehand,” he said. “At regionals, I chose the topic ‘jigsaw,’” he told us. “I’ll give you an idea of how it works,” he said. “I just picked a sample topic, and did my two minutes of prep. I chose ‘super villains.’” He then presented for five minutes, focusing on the animated movie Megamind, speaking about the nature of villains and heroes. He immediately got into the flow and was able to make some points about how labels influence perception. In the end he looked at the clock and stopped himself, he had gone over on time and didn’t get to wrap up his speech with a conclusion. He said, "It's hard to get out of the flow once I'm in it.”
Coach Parker, who was observing said, “I think you have a really good strategy of past, present, and future as your focus,” referring to Porter’s current speech roadmap. “You’re a naturally good speaker, I don’t think you need help with fluency and stage presence. You grab the audience’s attention right away, but then it slowly trickles to the finish, so I think if you focus on the beginning right away and then work on seeing the finish line with a conclusion it will allow you to use space between to get there as you go. When you’re prepping, come up with a set ending.” Porter was appreciative of advice to help him stay on track and make each point, with it being impromptu it’s difficult to make changes on the fly but also seems to be part of the fun.
The dedication and hard work of these students highlight the impact of having a strong, well-supported, successful program like PCHS Speech and Debate. Thanks to PCEF-funded Classroom Grants, Educators like Anna Williams and Mark Parker are encouraged to bring innovative ideas to life, ensuring students have access to enriching experiences that extend far beyond the standard curriculum. The Speech and Debate program is just one example of how PCEF donors directly impact students’ learning, and help set Park City’s students apart.
The Classroom and Express Grants program is One of PCEF’s Eight Signature Initiatives supported by generous donors.
