Agency Details:

Capital Area Speech & Debate League

The Capital Area Speech & Debate League provides high quality classroom instruction and interscholastic competition in speech and debate activities for students in the greater Lansing area. Events include but are not limited to debate, public speaking, oral interpretation, storytelling, and poetry. The league strives to maximize learning by supporting both in-class and extracurricular instruction and by carefully linking its activities to important educational standards and community concerns.

Description:
The Capital Area Speech & Debate League (CASDL) was started in the 2007-2008 school year. There were three league tournaments in that first year and there were five teams in the league. Now there are nine schools involved. So far at tournaments, students have competed in Debate, Oral Interpretation, Original Storytelling, and Advocacy. MSU has provided support in the form of professional advice, volunteer coaching, and tournament administration.


The main benefits of speech activities are fun, academic improvement (critical thinking, listening, language use, reading, note-taking, etc.) and increased confidence. Contrary to many other modes of learning, speech competition naturally promotes direct student awareness and experience of each other’s performances. Students also learn from timely and direct feedback on their efforts from judges. Speech activities can provide a foundation for academic success in high school as well as a bridge to college and later learning. They can also equip students with alternatives to violence in the face of conflict and with the skills for meaningful participation in community.

History:
see description

Contact people:

Shawn Batt, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Paul Carrier, (phone), (email)

Address:

RCAH; MSU; C210 Snyder Hall East Lansing, MI 48825-1106 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

We are a league of schools. I put down my own personal office address since there is no central facility for the league itself.

Last updated on September 25, 2009