Mount St. Mary Academy recently received the prestigious national charter member status in the National Speech & Debate Association along with three other Arkansas schools: Crossett High School, Har-Ber High School and North Little Rock High School. This is the highest school membership honor you can achieve in the National Speech & Debate Association.
“Charter membership reflects sustained commitment to speech and debate,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “We are extremely proud of our charter schools, coaches, and students for their hard work and passion for speech and debate.”
Schools earn charter membership status after receiving at least 50 degrees within a three-year period. Students and coaches earn points in the Honor Society through speech and debate competition, community service, public speaking, and leadership activities. The more points earn higher degrees of recognition.
Every school within the National Speech & Debate Association is designated a provisional chapter, member chapter, or charter chapter. Each status determines voting privileges, a district’s strength of chapters, and number of qualifiers to the annual National Speech & Debate Tournament.
About the National Speech & Debate Association
The National Speech & Debate Association is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States. The Association provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities, and advanced recognition to more than 150,000 students and coaches every year. For 90 years, the National Speech & Debate Association has empowered more than 1.5 million members to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals, and honorable leaders in our society. For more information, visit www.speechanddebate.org.