2012 Speech Handbook
MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL
TIGER SPEECH TEAM
TEAM HANDBOOK
We Are Always…
THE MARSHALL SPEECH TEAM MISSION:
To be a classy team committed to learning, having fun, and striving for excellence.
Dear Speech Team Member: November 2011
Welcome to the 2012 Tiger Speech Team! We seek to be a classy team committed to learning, having fun, and striving for excellence. We are excited to have YOU as a part of our team.
LEARNING
Speech will provide you with extremely valuable life-skills and for that reason we strongly believe in this activity. Yes, this activity is competitive but on this team we do not see winning as the goal. We see winning as the result of lots of hard work and learning. We are a team that accepts nothing less than a strong desire to learn and improve from all who participate. In the end, this team will push you to reach your full potential.
HAVING FUN
Speech is so much fun! Being a part of this team is fun. And, in the end, if you’re having fun, you’ll be more successful and learn more in Speech.
STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE
The Marshall Speech Team has a proud tradition of excellence. This tradition is one that expects all students to rise up to a higher standard of professionalism and speaking excellence. Your job is to continue this tradition as you strive to reach that very high standard.
This handbook of information is put together to aid you in your involvement and success on the MHS Speech Team. We expect you to be familiar with and follow the policies and procedures outlined. We also ask that you share this information with your parents.
You are a valuable member of this team and your input is extremely important. Please direct all questions and concerns to the coaching staff and/or captains. We want to make this season a rewarding one for you.
Sincerely,
Rick Purrington and the MHS Speech Coaching Staff
Our Coaching Staff
Our coaching staff is an incredibly talented and dedicated group. There is a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise here. Take advantage of your time with your coach, work hard, have fun, learn a lot, and success will follow. Put Mr. Purrington’s and your coach’s phone number in your phone!
Rick Purrington, Head Coach507-530-6888
Practices in: A252 / Heather Purrington, Assistant Coach
507-530-6866
Practices in: A252
Carol Purrington, Assistant Coach
507-828-5791
Practices in: A103 / Bessie Peterson, Assistant Coach
320-216-5566
Practices in: A201
Andrea Olzog-Linville, Assistant Coach
507-530-4857
Practices in: A256 / Deb Gau, Assistant Coach
507-401-1025
Practices in: Journalism Computer Lab
Kristen Berg, Assistant Coach
507-530-5834
Practices in: A101 / Dan Smith, Assistant Coach
507-829-2183
Practices in: A105
Rob Purrington, Assistant Coach
507-828-2565
Practices in: A254 / Emily Snyder, Assistant Coach
507-476-5743
Practices in: A257
Nick Dorman, Assistant Coach
507-829-4215
Practices in: A105 / Mary Surprenant, Assistant Coach
507-828-4437
Practices in A101
Anna Hilbert, Assistant Coach
Practices in: A257 / Melanie Braam, Assistant Coach
507-382-5698
Practices in: A257
Our Mission
To be a classy team committed to learning, having fun, and striving for excellence.
Our Beliefs
1. We understand speech is first and foremost an educational activity.
2. We believe in a positive and fun team atmosphere.
3. We believe in making coaching time a priority for coaches and students.
4. We believe in improving competitively as a team.
5. We believe in being a CLASSY team that respects each other, our competition, and the activity as a whole….CLASSY MEANS:
ü WE WIN WITH GRATITUTE AND HUMBLENESS.
ü WE LOSE WITH GRACE AND DIGNITY.
ü WE WORK FOR EVERYTHING WE EARN.
ü WE SUPPORT AND CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER.
ü WE RESPECT OUR JUDGES AND THEIR DECISIONS.
ü WE SEEK TO BE HIGH-ACHIEVING, MODEL STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM.
ü WE SEEK TO BE MODEL CITIZENS IN THE COMMUNITY.
Our 2012 Captains
ERIC DEUTZ, BO ERICKSON, NICK EVANS
Our Category Captains
Category captains are selected by the coaching staff to serve as mentors for and leaders of their category. Category captains should serve as a mentor for less experienced team members, lead locker decorating, and organize informal category practices.
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2012 Speech Team Handbook
Turn in following to the office by December 16…..
As a member of our team, you need to turn in the following to JoAnn in the office by December 16 or you will not be allowed to compete:
· Pay your Activity Fee and turn in the Orange Activity Fee Form in the office. Make checks out to Marshall High School.
· Turn in your Yellow Emergency Form to the office.
· Sign and turn in your White MSHSL Eligibility Form to the office. Know that poor grades and/or poor choices could hurt your Speech eligibility.
Be Ready for the Following…..
There are costs that you may encounter over the course of the season.
· Overnight Trips: Occasionally the team will stay overnight at a hotel the weekend of a tournament. Students may be asked to pay no more than $25 toward the cost of their lodging.
· Meals: Students are responsible for buying their own meals at tournaments. Concessions are available. If you get tired of pizza every Saturday, bring your own lunch.
· Attire: Students are asked to dress professionally at tournaments. (See Tips for Professional Attire and PowerPoint slides for more details). For many students, this will mean purchasing new tournament clothes.
· Speech Portfolio: Students are strongly encouraged to have a classy Speech Portfolio (the leather type) to use at tournaments.
· Sweatshirts/T-shirts: Students may choose to buy team spirit apparel.
· Fundraising: All team members are expected to participate in all necessary fundraising endeavors.
Our Practice Expectations
Our team strongly values practice time. Team members have a very limited time to work one-on-one with their coach. So, it is imperative that the short time be used wisely and efficiently.
· One individual practice per week with a coach is required. The length of this practice may range from 25 minutes per week to over 1 hour per week depending on your category and level (Varsity, JV or Novice) on the team.
· Team members are expected to practice on their own. This includes completing weekly assignments given to you by your coach.
· Students are expected to have a black Speech Folder or classy leather Portfolio to bring to all practices and tournaments. This folder will store tournament critiques, team handbook, season ranking tracker, etc.
Missing Individual Practice:
· An unexcused absence from practice will result in a review of the student’s place on the team.
· The student’s coach must be contacted before missing a practice.
· If an individual practice is missed and excused, a make-up practice or assignment that satisfies your coach must be completed in order to compete.
· Weather conflicts: If school is cancelled due to weather, NO SPEECH PRACTICES WILL BE HELD. Students should check with their coach for make-up possibilities.
Varsity, Junior Varsity, Novice Levels:
· Each team member is placed in Varsity, JV, or Novice. Placement is determined based on audition preparation and performance, and experience. The coaching staff may determine that a move to a different level may be necessary during the course of the season. Varsity members, depending on category, may be expected to practice longer. Level placement is not a criterion for placement on the NFL Nat-Quals Team, SW Conference Team, or Section 2AA Team.
Competing at the Schwan’s Speech Spectacular:
· To compete at the Schwan’s Speech Spectacular, each student must meet the following criteria:
ü No unexcused absences from practice
ü All coach-set deadlines are met
ü Varsity and JV interpers must be memorized
ü Novice interpers, if not memorized, must have script on black construction paper
ü Varsity and JV Public Address must be memorized
ü Novice Public Address, if not memorized, must have script on black construction paper
Our Professional Dress Code
Appearance is a critical factor when making a favorable first impression in any public speaking situation. Therefore, the Marshall Speech Team will take on a classy, professional approach to dress and overall appearance. Required tournament attire (see PowerPoint slides for specifics):
Men
· Young men are required to wear a suit, collared shirt, tie (no goofy patterns), slacks, and dress shoes.
Women
· Young women are required to wear a long (at least knee-length) skirt and a suit jacket. We expect that the suit include a skirt, not pants. The suit should be more conservative than trendy – shop in the “misses” section of the store, not teens. Our young women are encouraged to wear conservative make-up and hair should be tight, crisply pulled back, and very neat.
Men and Women
· Be conservative in your choice of color and pattern to avoid anything too distracting or “eye catching.” Darker, conservative colors are preferred.
· Avoid distracting or dangly jewelry, accessories, nail polish, and hair styles.
Our Team Communication
In order for our large team to effectively communicate, students must remain updated.
· OUR PRIMARY FORM OF COMMUNICATION WILL BE VIA EMAIL. Make sure you check your email daily. Weekly team announcements will be sent out on Sunday evenings.
· We will usually have 2 team meetings per month in Jan, Feb, and March. Attendance at these meetings is required. An unexcused absence will result in a review of that student’s place on the team.
· Check out our team website www.marshall.k12.mn.us/mhs from Activities menu choose Speech.
· Check out MHS Speech on Facebook! We expect that all PUBLIC conversation will be positive and will uphold our mission and beliefs. This includes any posts on online blogs, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Failure to meet this expectation will result in a review of the student’s place on the team.
Star of the Week!
All MHS Speech competitors have the opportunity to be the “Star of the Week” at each tournament. The star will be awarded to those students who display and further our team’s mission and values in an exceptional way.
The PLAYOFFS!
Southwest Conference Championship, Section 2AA, NFL Nat-Quals, and the NIETOC
Marshall Speech has four playoff opportunities. We compete in the Southwest Conference Championship for conference recognition. We compete in the MSHSL Section 2AA in an effort to qualify individuals for the State Speech Tournament. We compete in the Southern MN District National Qualifiers (Nat-Quals) to qualify individuals for the NFL National Tournament. We also compete in many tournaments in an effort to qualify individuals for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). For NFL Nat-Quals and the NIETOC, we can only take students in the 6 NFL categories: Original Oratory, Extemp Speaking, Dramatic Interp (taken from either Serious Prose or Drama), Humorous, and Duo. Entries are limited for the NFL Nat-Quals Team, the Section 2AA Team, and the Southwest Conference Team.
There are three primary factors that we will consider when selecting students for these teams:
1. Adherence to the MHS Speech mission and beliefs.
2. Demonstration of and potential for competitive success.
3. Balance of talent across categories.
Out-of-State Traveling Opportunities
MHS Speech offers optional opportunities for team members to have unique, fun, and educational speech experiences outside Minnesota.Only team members in NFL categories (Drama, Prose, Duo, Humorous, Oratory, and Extemp. Speaking) are eligible to attend out-of-state-tournaments. Students are expected to pay for their own expenses at these tournaments.
Harvard Trip
One of the most exciting trips isto the oldest, most prestigious university in the United States - Harvard University in Boston Massachusetts. Harvard hosts the largest speech tournament in the country over Presidents' Day weekend in February. Our team attends this tournament every-other-year (on odd-numbered years). Teams frommany statesmake the trip tolearn fromand compete againsttop-notchcompetition. In addition to the unique competitive experience, studentsalso get to take in the splendor of the Harvard campus with rounds held in the historic, grand, classrooms that only Harvard can offer.
There are also two national tournaments that team members in NFL categories can try to qualify for: NFL Nationals and the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). Team members who qualify may be expected to pay for some of their own expenses but the Speech Boosters will help as well.
NFL Nationals
The National Forensic League National Tournament is held in June and students must place in the top 3 in their category at the Minnesota NFL Southern District Qualfiying Tournament (Nat-Quals we call it) in March to qualify. www.nflonline.org
NIETOC
The NIETOC is held in May and students can qualify by reaching a set-standard at two selected NIETOC "bid" tournaments. Our team tries to attend as many bid tournaments as possible to giveteam membersa chance to qualify for the NIETOC. www.nietoc.com
Our Lettering Policy
A letter may be earned in Speech if all of the following criteria are met:
1. The student shows a true commitment to the team by
a. Competing in all scheduled invitational tournaments. (Unless limited entry keeps a student from competing or student has an excused and authorized absence from Mr. Purrington).
b. Acting true to our mission, beliefs, and all policies stated in this handbook.
2. The student ‘breaks’ to 4 Quarter-final, Semi-final, Novice final, Honor final or Final Rounds. This would include Section Finals, NFL Nat-Quals out-rounds, and qualifying for the NFL or NIETOC National Tournaments.
3. The student maintains a 2.0 or above cumulative G.P.A.
Exceptions:
1. Students who do not meet all of the above criteria but have shown true
commitment to the team for 4 years may letter.
2. Any student declared ineligible by the MSHSL will not letter.
3. All letters are granted at the discretion of the activities director and coaches.
4. Coaches reserve the right to present letter awards to exceptional students for showing performance and commitment that prove to be above and beyond expectations.