As the school year progresses, the reformed Speech and Debate program is flourishing. Mr. Brian McAninch is the newly appointed Speech and Debate Director for Lake Highland. Formerly a Speech and Debate coach, Mr. McAninch is an involved member of the Speech and Debate community. But how will things change from previous years? And how will this make our team stronger?
Mr. McAninch is now in charge of a big program that showcases countless students who yearn to reach their full potential. To make this program better, he has a vision that would create a, “Team that is healthy, with strong student leadership, and is embedded in the life of the school… to better connect it into the curriculum at LHP…[and] serve the school in different capacities due to their skills in analysis, rhetoric, and public address.” He continued by explaining, “I would like to re-establish some norms from before Covid… hopefully working to establish more team traditions, working towards building more team spirit.”
A main factor in creating this vision is altering how the structure of the team works and operates. The first alteration is that Mr. McAninch has added more staffing for all the events of Speech and Debate. He explained, “We are blessed to have maintained our previous hires who are some of the best in the country…[and] to have added two more, our recent graduate Eshan Ahmad [Class of 2025] and experienced event coach from West Valley High School in Des Moines Conal Thomas-McGinnis. We would like to further work out partnerships with other alumni and competitors to work with students on a limited basis when there is a chance.” The effect of this new coaching is shown through the experiences of the current team members. As Chupeng Gui, grade 11, said, “In previous years, as a novice, I literally just sat in a room and did nothing.” Now, he sees that novices are getting much more from coaches and the team. He elaborated, “Like constant practices for novices, more drilling, and a greater call on practice rounds.” The Speech and Debate program has become much more accessible and helpful compared to previous years for new members interested in joining.
The second alteration involves team culture. Mr. McAninch said, “The team has functioned on ‘little islands’ as I think about them for the last several years, and while we are able to provide great resources and let people work with amazing individuals (both captains and coaches), I look forward to getting the team back together to improve on their skills. I would like to try to establish better mentorship for novices, more planned help for Junior Varsity, and find ways to better challenge Varsity.” This effect has been shown through the new mentorship the Varsity members have been providing for the novices.
There are weekly signups for every Varsity captain to help the mentee work on cases, speeches, and feedback from judges. In previous years, the novices were much more separate from the older members, especially in events such as Lincoln Douglas or Public Forum, where the Varsity members are working on much more complicated positions. For the Junior Varsity members, there have been lectures provided by the Varsity Captains on subjects such as psychoanalysis, federal policies, and topicality. Varsity members are also helped daily by coaches, practice rounds, and constant drilling during practice. There they can learn how to more effectively present themselves and strategize their speeches. The captains are the core of this behavioral change and serve as huge leaders of the team. Mr. McAninch commented, “I think we have some amazing people this year who have stepped forward to help lead the team, who have dedicated a lot of time to honing their events. We are learning processes and figuring out how best to support the team and each other right now, but I’m excited to see where we go as the year starts into the full swing.”
The new changes to the program provide a bright future for the program. With teammates getting better lessons, practices, and drills, the program seems to have grown from previous years. As Mr. McAninch said, “It is both exciting and humbling to step into this new role and lead LHP’s storied Speech and Debate program. I am excited to be part of the legacy of this amazing team, and I hope to continue to learn and hone my craft and to find the right people to continue to help lead and prepare this team.”
