Page 72 - 2010.Millard.North

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Students harnessed the art of language in competitive speech.

While a majority of the student body spent Saturday mornings slumber-
ing within the comfort of their houses, a se lect group of students, dressed in
suits, ties, and shining bl ack hee ls, journeyed off in ye ll ow school busses to
co mpete in th e world of competitive forensics and debate.
With over 120 members, the forensics team was anything but small , but
rath er, a small arm y led by coach Sabrina Denn ey Bull.
"Ms. Denney Bull had a rea lly strong relationship w ith us. A lot of teach-
ers are just there for you while you're in the classroom, but she was there
all the time," se ni or Kristin Bainbridge sa id.
Team competition lasted from ea rly November to Febru ary, while state_
and the national qualifying tournaments took place in sp ring. New this ·
season was the National Individual Events Tournament of the Cha mpions
(NIETO() tournament in Full erton, CA.
"It was a great opportunity because it let kids get the unique experi ence
of a national tournament," junior Colin Anderson sa id.
While alrea dy champions, the sec ret to success in debate was rooted in
th e proper utensils.
"You definitely need yellow lega l pads because they look more profes-
sional. Pil ot C-2 Fine Point retractabl e pens work well. You have to have a
desire to cru sh opponents mentally. Ultimate ly, you have to remember you
are always ri ght and th e opposing tea m is wrong," sophomore Xiong-Fei
Zhang sa id.
Regard less of whether students ste pped off the debate or forensics bus
ea rl y in the morning, th e mission remained the sa me: lea rning how to apply
and maste r words in the most mea ningful way poss ible.
Clubs and Activities