Brecksville-Broadview Heights Speech and Debate Team Makes Great Strides in First Years

Four years ago, didn’t have a speech and debate team. 

Now, not only does the school have a team, they have one that can keep up with the competition.

"We're giving them a run for their money," said member Alexander Grgat.

In its first three years, the team, the Talking Bees, has already had students qualify for the state tournament, and one student will compete on behalf of the school at the National Forensic League Tournament this summer.

It hasn’t been easy. There are some extremely competitive schools out there, coach John Kerezy said, schools that have to host tryouts because so many students are interested and that give out letters to participants. 

“We knew none of this when we started out,” Kerezy said, laughing.

Kerezy said he participated in speech and debate in college and remembered it being a positive experience that he wanted to share. He got together with some other parents to create a program for students at the high school in 2008. They jumped in headfirst, learning as they went along. 

It’s an intense program. Students compete on Saturdays in fall and winter, and the days are long. They also spend hours during the week practicing and researching. 

The students put in hours and hours of research for an hour or less of competition each week, said member Melissa Michaud. Michaud, a senior, has been with the team since it began. In her event, Original Oratory, she has to write drafts of an original speech and memorize it, practicing her hand movements and gestures, making sure they match up.

There are four different types of debate competitions, Kerezy said, and nine kinds of “speech” categories, with topics ranging from humor to current events. There are specific rules to each, and it can take time to figure out what the best fit for students is. 

“There’s a niche for everyone,” member Austin Price said.

And no matter the event they choose, the students said the program gives them skills for the rest of their lives. Grgat, a junior, noted that he’s learned how to debate, to refute people’s points, rather than to just argue. Josiah Depaoli, a junior, also noted that debating helps to teach people how to find good sources of information, how to recognize when someone uses one that is less than ideal and how to be persuasive. The program also helps people become more comfortable speaking in front of crowds, Depaoli added. 

But the students noted that it wasn’t immediately smooth sailing. 

, joined the team shortly after it began and said his first year was a bit overwhelming.

“It’s been an interesting ride,” Price said. 

He started out in Student Congress, where participants give short speeches in favor or against a proposed bill. Price said he enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the best fit for him. Kerezy encouraged him to try International Extemporaneous. In that category, students bring their own research—boxes and boxes of it, usually—and create a speech on the spot. They don’t receive their topic until that day. 

The first time Price planned to compete in International Extemporaneous, he knew about the research—but not about the boxes. He went high-tech and brought the articles on a flash drive, not knowing that they couldn’t use computers. 

But all was not lost. Price said the other students in the event—usually fiercely competitive—shared their research with him. It’s a unique relationship that the students in these events forge, both with their own teams and those from other schools. Price’s father, Jim Price, said the students have a mutual bond and respect for each other. 

Michaud said that the camaraderie, with her team and with students from other schools, is her favorite part of the program. Although she said she’s not into sports, she loves being part of a team. When one spends so many hours working with teammates, they begin to appreciate how hard they’re working and how well they’re working together, Michaud said.

Students may compete alone or in small teams, she said, “but it’s a team effort to get to the tournament.” 

Do you know a group of students doing great things in Brecksville? E-mail the details to Editor Rachel Abbey.