The Tribe Tribune would like to thank the Speech & Debate program for continuing to bring home top honors that make our campus look good.
We congratulate the entire team which has embraced the challenge of moving away from a scheduled daily class while transitioning to a club that meets at lunch and after school.
Students carve out time to prepare for and travel to tournaments, and the Tribe Tribune staff knows how tough it is to make the commitment. As participants in a co-curricular program, journalism students must spend time outside of class taking photos and editing, but we at least earn credit for our efforts. The leaders in the speech program must attract and retain talent with the promise that success will make them want to stick with it.
All of the students who’ve chosen to give up time to participate in speech should, of course, be celebrated, but we wanted to highlight a few exceptional people we’ve learned about through interviews.
Speech & Debate student leader Jane Kwak is a hyper-organized taskmaster who has helped keep the program running. She juggles students’ schedules to make sure everyone is confident and prepared.
Impromptu and extemporaneous speaker Olivia Woo is so good at quick-thinking and smooth-talking that she models what truly exceptional performance can look and sound like. Olivia is perhaps the most well-read student among our 1,900 students on campus. To prepare for any possible topic thrown at her, Olivia reads stories from NPR, the BBC and The Atlantic and pays for subscriptions to the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Freshman Dahun Lee shines in Humorous Interpretation with a speech inspired by My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that addresses toxic masculinity and the pressures men face to handle everything alone. He gives each character a role that reflects a different way men cope: Twilight Sparkle hides behind work; Rainbow Dash acts macho; Applejack tries to be a hero, and Pinkie Pie is overly cheerful. Dahun incorporates research, such as a study showing that 15% of men report having no close friends, and delivers the message using pony noises to make his audience laugh and think.
The speech season would not be possible without adviser Elizabeth O’Donnell’s fearlessness and dedication, while coach Bryce Rankins brings energy and experience.
The FUHS Speech & Debate team is more than a club, it’s a place where students can discover their confidence, creativity, and grow in a supportive community.
Coach Rankins says watching students grow, whether it’s Olivia perfecting her rounds, Dahun experimenting with performance, or Jane guiding younger members, is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching.
“Seeing kids bond over shared challenges and successes is what makes the team feel like a family,” Rankins said.
We agree. And the Tribe Tribune wishes you all the best—from our family to yours.
