The debate includes a total of 48 debate entries and 259 individual event entries from high school students in six schools in the region:
• Braxton County High School; Sutton, West Virginia
• Huntington High School; Huntington, West Virginia
• Mount Vernon High School; Mount Vernon, Ohio
• Parkersburg High School; Parkersburg, West Virginia
• Parkersburg South High School; Parkersburg, West Virginia
• The Linsly School; Wheeling, West Virginia
Students in the tournament will face three rounds plus elimination rounds in 14 individual events, plus four rounds and the appropriate elimination rounds of Lincoln-Douglas debate and public forum debate, and three sessions of congressional debate. The rules of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) are adhered to where applicable, according to Danny Ray, tournament director and director of forensics at Marshall.
“We are excited to host one of the region’s most comprehensive high school/middle school speech and debate tournaments,” said Ray.
Awards will be presented to all event finalists, semifinalists and quarter finalists, and the top novice in every event will be recognized. Awards will be presented to the top 10 speakers in Individual Sweepstakes to those competitors who are entered in at least three events, as well as to the top six debate speakers in each debate format. The John Marshall Traveling Sweepstakes Trophy will also be awarded to the school with the most points cumulated from every year of competition. Huntington High School currently holds the trophy.
Ray said the tournament would be held in Smith, Corbly and Harris halls and the awards ceremony will be in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.
For additional information about the 44th Annual John Marshall Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament, please contact Ray at 304-654-0587 or at ray102@marshall.edu. For more about Marshall’s speech and debate team, visit www.marshall.edu/commstu.
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Photo: Marshall’s Thundering Word speech and debate team will be among the hosts for the 44th Annual John Marshall Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament for high school students beginning Feb. 12.