Up to 3,000 students will travel to South from around the world for the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament on Nov.
18-20, Alyssa Corrigan, Director of Debate and Social Studies Teacher, said.

At the largest high school debate tournament in the country, students will compete in two different competitions: Speech and Debate, sophomore Adriana Stevens, policy debater, said. The speech competitions include Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, Humorous Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Original Oratory, and Program of Oral Interpretation, while the debate competitions include Policy, Lincoln Douglas, Congressional, and Public Forum, Stevens added.

Spanning from Saturday to Monday, there are three rounds of competition, Corrigan said. To make it to the final round, students must have a good debate record, Corrigan said. The tournament helps raise money for the program, allowing many students to travel to out-of-state competitions, free of charge, Stanzi said. In addition to debating, South students ensure the tournament runs smoothly, Stevens said. All debate students are expected to help run the competition, Corrigan said.

“We have a lot of different roles for the people that work the competition,” Stevens said. “People [work as] greeters, help [attendees] find their way around, or assist the judges.”

The tournament will utilize the space of two schools: South and Niles North, Corrigan said. South’s cafeteria, library, and classrooms will be used to host judges, debates, and as rest areas, she added.

Niles North will be used to host a less prominent type of debate called Public Forum, Corrigan said.

“[Public Forum] is supposed to be more accessible to an audience that doesn’t have debate experience,” Corrigan said. “[Niles North] is doing us a huge favor because we need more space.”

Debate is a large, yet fulfilling undertaking, often requiring hours of research and work, Corrigan said. Sophomore Ryann Knuth is taking debate for the first time this year and appreciates the larger connections she is able to make.

“South hosts one of the biggest tournaments all year and I am honored to be a part of it,” Knuth said. “I have connected with the world by learning about current events and getting myself involved when we debate.”