New Trier Speech & Debate Team receives the National Speech & Debate Association's 23-24 Leading Chapter Award for Northern Illinois chapter.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Alyssa Rivera
National Speech & Debate Association
alyssa.rivera@speechanddebate.org (920) 748-6206

National Speech & Debate Association
Announces 2023-2024 Leading Chapter Awards

This is the highest recognition a speech and debate charter school can earn.

DES MOINES, IOWA (October 3, 2024) – The National Speech & Debate Association is proud to award one chapter from each competition district with this year’s Leading Chapter Awards. Only approximately 3% of schools are recognized as Leading Chapter Award winners.

“This award, which is based on student participation, represents a tremendous dedication to speech and debate education,” said Executive Director J. Scott Wunn. “Our Leading Chapter schools understand the importance of speech and debate, and the life-changing benefits of the activity. We are proud to recognize these hard-working schools with this coveted honor.”

Each year, the top chapter in accumulated members and degrees, not more than one per district, receives the Leading Chapter Award; then its accumulated total returns to zero and it begins a new record. Each school must wait at least five years before being eligible for the award again.

Leading Chapter schools are recognized based on student participation throughout the school year. Schools earning the Leading Chapter Award must have previously achieved Charter School Status in the National Speech & Debate Association. These speech and debate programs serve as an inspiration for new speech and debate teams around the United States.

“Speech and debate advances communication skills, develops interpersonal skills, improves reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking, and prepares students for college, careers, and beyond,” said Wunn. “Nowhere is this more evident than our Leading Chapter schools.”

The 2023-2024 Leading Chapter Award winners:
Whitestone High School, AK
Arizona College Prep High School, AZ
Hoover High School, AL
Russellville High School, AR
Millennium Charter, CA
Leland High School, CA
Woodcreek High School, CA
Mark Keppel High School, CA
Miramonte High School, CA
East Bakersfield High School, CA
Cajon High School, CA
Marlborough School, CA
Grandview High School, CO
Canon City High School, CO
Rocky Mountain High School, CO
Denver East High School, CO
Eagle Valley High School, CO
Braddock High School, FL
American Heritage School - Broward, FL
Spanish River Community High School, FL
Olympia High School, FL
C. Leon King High School, FL
Cherokee High School, GA
Valdosta High School, GA
Punahou School, HI
Boise High School, ID
Highland High School, ID
Belleville East High School, IL
Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, IL
New Trier Township High School, IL
Avon High School, IN
Southport High School, IN
Bishop Dwenger High School, IN
Penn High School, IN
Iowa City West High School, IA
Dowling Catholic High School, IA
Olathe South High School, KS
Manhattan High School, KS
Fort Scott High School, KS
Maize South High School, KS
St. James Academy, KS
McPherson High School, KS
Beechwood High School, KY
Isidore Newman School, LA
Poland Regional High School, ME
Reservoir High School, MD
Shrewsbury High School, MA
Dexter High School, MI
Eastview High School, MN
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School, MN
Rosemount Sr. High School, MN
Pascagoula High School, MS
Republic High School, MO
Marquette High School, MO
Central High School, MO
Willard High School, MO
Pembroke Hill School, MO
Billings Sr. High School, MT
Flathead High School, MT
Marian High School, NE
Lincoln East High School, NE
Canyon Springs High School, NV
Carson High School, NV
Summit High School, NJ
Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, NM
Byram Hills High School, NY
Brooklyn Technical High School, NY
William G. Enloe High School, NC
Ardrey Kell High School, NC
Fargo Davies High School, ND
Perry High School, OH
Brecksville Broadview Hts High School, OH
Boardman High School, OH
Dublin Jerome High School, OH
Jenks High School, OK
Edmond Memorial High School, OK
Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, OR
St. Mary's High School, OR
Upper St. Clair High School, PA
CR North High School, PA
Waccamaw High School, SC
Spearfish High School, SD
Lennox High School, SD
Brandon Valley High School, SD
Brentwood High School, TN
Winston Churchill High School, TX
J. Frank Dobie High School, TX
Harlingen High School, TX
Hendrickson High School, TX
McKinney High School, TX
JBS Law Magnet High School, TX
Hebron High School, TX
Stephen F. Austin High School, TX
Tompkins High School, TX
Pampa High School, TX
Midlothian High School, TX
Eastwood High School, TX
Princeton High School, TX
Cedar High School, UT
Davis High School, UT
Tooele High School, UT
James Madison High School, VA
Chiawana High School, WA
The Overlake School, WA
Neenah High School, WI
Muskego High School, WI
Jackson Hole High School, WY

About the National Speech & Debate Association
The National Speech & Debate Association is the authority on public speaking and debate in the United States. The Association builds the infrastructure for speech and debate competitions around the world by providing topics, educational resources, and training for students and coaches. For 100 years, the National Speech & Debate Association has built a platform for youth voices that culminates in the National Tournament, the largest academic competition in the world. For more information, visit www.speechanddebate.org.