Saint Ignatius Speech and Debate

About Speech and Debate

From its beginnings in 1863, Saint Ignatius Speech and Debate (formerly known as the Debating Society) has had a proud tradition of argumentation and public speaking. The student forums and debate teams have done well in past decades, and received invitations to attend the Georgetown University Debate Tournament, Stanford University Tournament, University of California at Berkeley Tournament, and various tournaments throughout the country.

In the 1970s, Saint Ignatius sent speakers and debaters to compete in Nationals every year except 1973 and 1979. In 1972, Stephen Schori (SI '72) and Gerald Posner (SI '72) took third in the NFL (National Forensics League) Finals at Wake Forest University. In 1986, the Speech and Debate Program won the National Championship Sweepstakes Trophy from the NFL in Tulsa, Oklahoma by sending debaters to 10 out of 13 Nationals between 1974 to 1986. More recently, the SI Speech and Debate Team captured over 70 awards and honors at the local, state, and national levels during the 2006-2007 school year including Nicolas Hernandez (SI '09) who placed in the top 15 in Lincoln Douglas Debate at the 2007 California High School Speech Association State Tournament held in Fullerton, CA. Trophies and current awards are displayed in the Speech and Debate trophy case on the second floor.

St. Ignatius is a member of the National Forensic League, and the team competes locally in the Golden Gate Speech Association which includes high schools from San Francisco, the East Bay, Sonoma County, and Marin Country. SI also competes in several national circuit events. Speech and Debate offers students the opportunity to compete with the best and brightest from around the country while allowing students to develop strong skills in public presentation and argumentation, valuable traits in any career or profession.

Past SI debaters have attended the following colleges:

Cornell University
Harvard College
Yale University
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania
Brown University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Georgetown University
Stanford University
University of California at Berkeley
University of California at Davis
University of California at Irvine
University of California at Los Angeles
University of California at San Diego

Courtesy of: Mr. Paul Totah. Spiritus Magis. 2005.

Mission Statement

In line with the "Graduate at Graduation: Profile," Saint Ignatius Speech and Debate is committed to fostering the development of young men and women. Speakers and Debaters will become active listeners and will seek to understand both sides of an argument (whether it be political or intrapersonal). Members will become intellectually competent through hours upon hours of research, case writing, and practice. Members will be persons committed to justice through the recognition of the global nature of many current social problems and desire to bring to light the needs of disadvantaged. Speakers and Debaters will exercise a personal value standard based on the Gospel, enabling him or her to confront the moral ambiguities of our modern world. Finally, members will compete with the desire to represent Saint Ignatius for the Greater Glory of God (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: AMDG).