As the first semester of school comes to an end, Oakwood’s Speech and Debate Team hit the middle of their season and settle down before winter break. 2021 has proved to be a year of new experiences for members and advisors alike, as some in-person competitions switched to virtual, and the speech category was introduced to their new coach. But in the face of change, students have continued to prevail onward with their own courage and the aid of Coach Danielle Burk.

“This is my 12th year in Speech & Debate,” Burk said. “I competed for Beavercreek as a high schooler, volunteered at tournaments in college and spent the last three years as the Head Coach at Beavercreek. I had no coaching experience when I took the job at Beavercreek, so for the past few years I had to learn what it means to be a coach and how to guide others in this activity.”

Even with her previous experience, Burk had to adapt when she began coaching at Oakwood in order to help the team live up to their full potential. 

“It’s been difficult but fun jumping right into things and trying to organize the team in a way that makes sense to me but also feels comfortable for the kids since many of them have never met me before I was hired,” Burk said. “Coaching is a mix of creating a fun and engaging environment while also staying organized and keeping everyone on track. It’s a challenge to do both of those things while trying to get to know the kids and also let them get to know me.”

However, after a full semester, Burk is able to more comfortably meet the needs of the team.

“Being a better Speech Coach is something I’ll always be working on, but now that I’ve gotten a chance to learn who these kids are and what they need from me, I think we’re on a great path to success,” Burk said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating in Speech because there is no clear path to success, but as long as the students have fun and feel like they’ve learned something, my job is complete. Trophies are very nice, but at the end of the day, if you’re not having fun, then it isn’t worth doing.”

Burk isn’t the only one evolving, as Speech and Debate students have also been working hard to accommodate to different styles of coaching.

“These students have been adapting amazingly,” Burk said. “A great example is I started making the team do vocal and energy warm-ups before we compete. It was a rocky start as the warmups we do are strange and likely embarrassing if an outsider were to watch us, but through repetition, the students have brought new life to these warmups and are creating a new team culture.”

A big milestone for Speech and Debate is not only how they have approached new coaching staff, but how they’ve faced altered competitions due to COVID-19.

“Our season so far has been half virtual and half in-person,” Burk said. “Given all that, I’m proud that they continue to show up with smiles on their faces. But I’m proud to say that at every single tournament we’ve had so far, students have been earning awards or setting personal bests. We’ve also won a Team Award at every tournament but one. A really special moment was at our last tournament, Upper Arlington, [because] the three students who placed first were all freshmen. That is really rare in Speech & Debate, but a testament to the hard work these kids are putting in both at practice and on their own time.”

This year’s Speech President Isabel Rubin-Alvarez (12) has similar thoughts regarding the many changes and challenges Speech and Debate has had to overcome.

“I feel that my team and I have been performing well, and I am proud of the progress we have made,” Rubin-Alvarez said. “It has been somewhat challenging with a mix of both virtual and in-person tournaments this semester, but we have pushed through it. I would say that both my team and I have kept a positive attitude this year, despite some of the challenges I have mentioned.”

The co-captain of the Public Forum Debate team, Julia Neal (12), recognizes that the support and feedback of coaches is a huge factor in the success of students. 

“A large part of the help that the coaching staff does is through the more bureaucratic sectors and making sure things are able to run smoothly, but they do also help with judging practice rounds and giving more insight from a judging perspective that a student debater may not have,” Neal said. “This is quite helpful when anticipating what you should change about your piece/case in order for it to perform better towards parent judges.”

Burk is one of many people in Speech and Debate who help ensure that students perform well at competitions, as other student advisors and co-captains also take on an important leadership role. But there are more important takeaways than simply winning tournaments.

“I think that Speech and Debate is a very good way for students to not only improve eloquence and research/reasoning skills, but it is also a great way for people to make connections with their peers and be a part of the team environment,” Neal said.

Rubin-Alarez values the fact that Speech and Debate helps prepare students for adult life. 

“Speech and Debate has made me a much better public speaker than I was before, and I know that many of my peers would say the same,” Rubin-Alvarez said. “Public speaking is a life skill that is needed in most professions, so it is important to practice this skill.”

Burk is happy to use her past experience to help enrich kids at Oakwood. 

“Joining Speech & Debate was truly the best decision I made in high school, and I’m so grateful that I get to continue spreading my passion to others,” Burk said. 

Speech and Debate began their season by placing fourth in Team Sweeps at Archbishop Moeller High School. They followed that accomplishment by again placing fourth in Team Sweeps at Edison High School, placing fifth at Vermilion High School and second at Upper Arlington High School—their best team score of the season so far. After winter break, they prepare to once again compete, but not without Burk’s guidance. 

“Our sights are now set on our upcoming state and national qualifying tournaments in February,” Burk said. “Some of our hardest tournaments are coming up in January as we work to qualify as much of our team as possible to the state tournament. If the students continue at the pace they’ve been at, I see great things for this team in 2022.”