The 2015-2016 debate team has proven to be a group of young leaders who are not ones to shy away from controversial topics or awards. On June 20, the team was recognized as a School of Outstanding Distinction and as one of the Top 10 Schools in the Nation for speech and debate by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). Eleven debate students were sent to participate in five entries of the NSDA tournament, where they competed against numerous debaters from a wide array of schools.

“Several of these entries placed among the highest in the nation, with Plano West students earning sixth in Public Forum Debate, eighth in United States Extemporaneous, twentieth in Congressional Debate and placements in numerous other out rounds,” junior member Ellen Wang said.

Wang did not start competing in her current debate events until her freshman year, and as a current junior she has shown her growth through her feats made at the NSDA tournament.

“My greatest achievement would have to be making it to the semi-finals round of Congressional Debate at the National Speech and Debate Tournament this summer,” Wang said. “It was pretty cool to be recognized as part of the top 72 competitors in my event. Getting that far was the result of hard work and practice over the course of two years, as well as the continuous support I have had from my teammates from Jasper and Plano West.”

Practice was necessary to obtain this title and required the debaters to have a strong foundation as a team.

“Our team was able to reach this achievement together through dedication as well as support for each other,” Wang said. “We would always help make each other stronger through critiques and the occasional pep talks. No team would be able to be this successful without individual competitors having the full support of their team and coaches behind them.”

Tournaments as a whole offer debaters the opportunity to not only unite with a common goal, but to also make friends along the way.

“Through debate, I have learned so many things,” junior and publicist Michael Eng said. “Debate tournaments are great experiences and through debate I have met so many new friends.”

Eng’s job as publicist makes him a vital asset to the team, especially when it comes to competing.

“As publicist, my job is to report the results of each tournament, showing who got what place or who made it to what round,” Eng said. “This is how our team stays updated on the results of every team competing and the current performances of each team.”

The across-the-board accepting attitude of the members involved has resulted in the team attaining these high awards and has given the invaluable win of creating a family.

“Right from the start, you get your hands on an inclusive, friendly community that cares for you both inside and outside of round,” senior and co-captain Neil Patel said.  “The debate team is honestly like a family. I’ve spent years traveling around the country with these people and we’ve grown so close and have lots of inside jokes and our own quirky sense of humor. That’s the first feeling you really get when you walk into debate class: a sense of family.”

For theses members, debate is not just about the wins. It is about declaring their stances on various topics and understanding that their input matters.

“The cool thing about speech and debate is that it gives you the opportunity to make your voices be heard,” Patel said. “Too often as youth, our opinions are shot down and decisions that affect us are made without our consent because we are silent about it. I didn’t realize until I joined speech and debate that what I thought mattered.”

Members are given the opportunity to make many personal achievements to complement their overall experience and success on the team. Through debate, Patel learned to read more about current events and was able to pitch practice speeches to his coach and friends in order to get vital critiques.

“I got invited to this tournament in Nashville called the Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin which is basically this invite-only tournament for the top 16 competitors in the nation, which was pretty exciting.” Patel said. “It really just came down to a lot of practice.”

One of Wang’s personal accomplishments offered the rare and abrupt experience of being on the cover of an NSDA poster, an opportunity created by being a part of the team.

“Getting featured on the National Speech and Debate Association poster was honestly a huge surprise for me and my best friend, Katherine Hu, who’s also on the poster,” Wang said. “I remember that during nationals this summer, a photographer asked to interview us and take our pictures, but we didn’t think much of that because they asked a lot of participants questions.”

While the team has already had their share of success, they are still looking forward to what this year had to offer and are eager for another year on the team.

“Every tournament this year is my last shot to win it, so I’m going for the gold every chance I get.” Patel said. “But more importantly, this year my main goal is to relax, have fun at tournaments, and enjoy my last year with my teammates and friends before we graduate and go off in different directions.”