We were excited to sponsor four coaches from Cosby HS, George Wythe HS, James River HS, and Manchester HS to attend the National Speech & Debate Association Coaches Conference in Colorado Springs, August 4-6th. Sessions ranged from leveraging community support for speech and debate to district leadership best practices.
I am grateful, having been selected for this opportunity, and I am very excited to bring the knowledge, strategies and experiences from the national conference to my school’s speech and debate teams.
Billy Waddell
Speech & Debate Coach
Cosby High School
Offering high quality professional development opportunities for local coaches is a key pillar of RRSDI. We believe that coaches equipped with best practices will offer students a more meaningful and competitive experience. Pairing high quality coaches with team sponsorships and ample qualified judges is what we believe it takes to achieve our vision of having high performing speech and debate activities in all middle and high schools in the Richmond region by 2025.
It is such a pleasure to be surrounded by and share knowledge with other educators who are as invested and passionate about speech and debate as I am. Attending this conference has given me the tools to support my team at a new, higher level.
Speaker/presenter Renea Moss of Florida explained what we do perfectly: Our kids are not performers here to entertain—we aim to affect change in our world. It is humbling to be the adult helping my students find their voices.
Jessica Sanchez
Forensics Coach
James River High School
Billy Waddell (Cosby HS), Linda Webb (Manchester HS), Jessica Sanchez (James River HS), and Angela Moore (George Wythe HS) attend the NSDA Coaches Conference in Colorado Springs, August 4-6, 2019.