The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts has been designated as a charter member of the National Speech and Debate Association.
The achievement is the highest honor the organization offers. Schools earn the designation in the organization’s Honor Society through outstanding participation over the past three years by students and educators in activities such as speech and debate competition, community service and leadership activities.
“This team was started by students over a year and a half ago,” said Tonya Reck, ASMSA’s debate instructor and coach of the Debate Team. “Starting new endeavors is always a challenge, and this has been an adventure. Our charter member status was achieved by every student who was brave enough to walk through the door, willing to take an academic risk, sign up for a debate tournament and pour in hours of research.
“It’s been the students willing to take the wins with the losses because no one wins everything all the time. It’s been the students who come back, again and again, to be better and better. Charter member status shows that we are growing as a new team. We are growing in our numbers, our participation and our achievements. It shows that this is a team the students have built from the ground up. I’m so honored to be on their team.”
ASMSA was among 22 schools nationwide to earn charter status this year.
The National Speech and Debate Association is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school and collegiate students in the United States. It provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities and advanced recognition to more than 140,000 students and coaches every year.
“Participation in speech and debate changes lives,” said J. Scott Wunn, executive director of the National Speech and Debate Association, in a release. “We are extremely proud of our charter schools, coaches and students for their hard work and dedication to this transformative activity.”