With a very successful season of debate not yet over,  Director of Debate Tom Fones and Assistant Debate Coach Heather Fairbanks are far from winding things down. Instead, they announced the formation of  the school’s newest team: speech team. According to Fairbanks, the idea of a St. Paul Academy and Summit School speech team is not a new one, but it was never a reality until junior Peter Schavee decided to take the idea to the next level.

“What it took was a student – Peter Schavee – going to the administration with a proposal and saying “this is something I would like to do and here’s the way I think we can make it work.””

Fairbanks, who was a very successful member of speech team in high school and who has judged and coached speech around the metro area for the last 15 years said. “He got the support of myself and Mr. Fones, and they approved it.”

Schavee says he got the idea from hearing other students discuss their experience with speech teams.

“When we go to debate tournaments, people always talk about doing speech, so I decided to start a speech team,” Schavee said.  I had to make a plan, figure out costs and requirements, and then present the idea to the Dean.”

The team is starting a bit late in the season, but that hasn’t discouraged them.

“I don’t think we have any sort of performance or number goals, I think it’s about joining the community,” Fairbanks said.  “Our goal is just participation, to establish a small team and let people figure out the activity and see what they like about it, and then from there I’m sure we’ll grow through word of mouth.”

Schavee, on the other hand, hopes the team will eventually take off the way other academic teams at SPA have.

“We want to win a lot. We want to make SPA the same power in speech that it is in debate,” Shavee said.

Although speech and debate are often related, someone who has no interest in debate could certainty excel on a speech team.

“What people don’t know about competitive speech is that there’s actually 13 different categories that are involved. There’s formal speaking, speaking that is more similar to debate, there’s also a lot of acting categories, so if you’re not interested in formal speaking or writing your own speech, you can do a performance based activity and you’re still getting those same skills and practice,” Fairbanks said.

Among these many, varied options is creative expression, in which contestants read a piece they have written themselves, interpretation of drama, prose, and poetry, in which contestants recite a monologue, short story, or poem, and duo interpretation, where contestants present a skit with a partner. Not only is there something for everyone, improving ones speaking ability in such a fun manner has long term benefits.

“There’s something really valuable about having the bravery to stand up in front of other people and do something that so many people fear. When you familiarize yourself with an activity, it becomes a lot less anxiety inducing,” Fairbanks said.

Fairbanks herself has benefited from her time on speech team when she was younger.

“It’s one of the most valuable activities that I was a part of in high school. Speaking is one of the most important skills that you can have to apply to anything later on in life: jobs, college, just basic interactions with other people,” Fairbanks said.

Joining the team is a great way for students to improve their speaking abilities, get comfortable with an activity that is feared by many, as well as make new friends. Students interested in learning more about the team should contact Tom Fones or Heather Fairbanks.