Speech & Debate

 
TKA Speech & Debate is a member of the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and competes with other Coast Forensic League (CFL) teams in the Bay Area.  
 
TKA has teams that compete in all forms of debate, including Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Parliamentary Debate as well as some Speech events.
 
For more information about the TKA program, contact the Team Coach, Taylor Choate: taylor.choate@tka.org.

Team Officers

Aaron Chen, Aidan Chiu, Grace Rao and Lily Traidman.
 
2024-2025 Policy Debate Resolution
"Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic  intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks."
We train new members in argumentation, research, cross-examination, and delivery.  Our goal is to help students become more persuasive, eloquent speakers and to sharpen their analytical and critical thinking skills.

Students have multiple pathways to explore and develop their skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and persuasive communication.

Academic Courses

Students can enroll in junior high or high school Speech and Debate classes as part of their academic schedule. These courses provide foundational training in debate formats, speech delivery, and argumentation. Speak with your academic advisor to learn more.

Competitive Debate Team

Students in grades 7–12 are also invited to join TKA’s Academic Speech and Debate Team, which competes in tournaments through the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA). Our team has proudly qualified for the California State Tournament, gaining recognition for excellence in performance, preparation, and sportsmanship.

Whether through class or competition, TKA’s Speech and Debate opportunities are designed to build confident communicators and thoughtful leaders.

The Competitive Team
  • The Speech and Debate Team primarily competes in debate events, but we do have students who compete in speech events. If your student is willing to take initiative to proactively engage and practice these events, we can absolutely work with them to be competitive in these events.
  • The team attends between 3 and 4 tournaments per semester depending on schedules. More opportunities exist for online competitions as well.
  • The team meets at least twice a week and all team members meet every Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30 a.m. (Classroom assigned is C-11)
  • There is a participation fee and a student contract ($200 for the year, collected once student is committed to the team, and a one-time NSDA membership fee of $50, paid only once in the student’s speech and debate career).
  • Students must be comfortable working with a partner.
  • New debaters must attend lunch time trainings with a coach during September, unless they have taken the debate class, in which case, they may walk-on to the team.