A solitary figure stands behind a podium at Copley High School. Every eye remains fixed upon this individual as they deliver a speech about the “white man in a photograph.” The speaker has to deliver a speech explaining a visual aid for a duration of five minutes. This event, known as informative speaking, offers a small sampling of the diverse set of topics at a traditional speech and debate competition.

The debate portion of Speech and Debate consists of Congress, Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Debate. The speech events include Oratory, Declamation, Informative Speaking, Dramatic Speaking, Dramatic Duo and Extemporaneous Speaking. Revere high school’s team has participants in all events except policy debate and the duo speech event.

Drew Espinal, senior and president of the RHS speech and debate team discussed what a typical practice looks like.

“People who are in the speech-oriented events usually practice speeches and write speeches whereas debaters discuss evidence. Speech and debate are isolated events and practice on different days but people within the same event work together,” Espinal said.

Junior at Revere High School and vice president of the team Anthony Pignataro expounded upon this description.

“[Practice] is different for each event. For debate it mostly entails research, practice rounds and open discussion. This helps to get our wheels turning and think of arguments that we can use on tournament days,” Pignataro said.

Espinal, a 3 year veteran of speech and debate discussed his duties as the president of the club.

“As president, I preside over meetings, run the website and make sure everyone is signed up for their respective events,” Espinal said.

Espinal also discussed how he became involved in speech and debate.

“[Coach John] Kerezy gave a presentation in my speech class which interested me. In addition to this I wanted to do an extra-curricular so I joined the club. It has countless benefits and since we are going to be speaking for the rest of our life we might as well be good at it. Another benefit of this club is that you have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people from your school, and from others,” Espinal said.

Pignataro, a two year veteran of the Lincoln-Douglas debate event, discussed how he became a part of the club.

“Last summer I was deciding between Mock Trial and Speech and Debate, and I was chatting with Alexis Espinal about it. It just so happened that there was a debate gathering that day, and she invited me. I went, and I felt comfortable around the group. I was very excited to meet people who, much like myself, enjoyed arguing. It was a group I really clicked with,” Pignataro said.

Pignataro touched upon the story behind the club’s recent revival and the reasons behind the team’s unprecedented success.

“We practice hard. What you put into Speech and Debate is usually what you get out of it. Also, our active student leaders and coaches play a big part in the success of the team. In addition to this we have grown significantly in size this year. I guess that is another reason we are succeeding is that we have an active group of freshman. This is due, in no small part, to the summer camp Revere Speech and Debate organized over the summer. It got our name out there, and that is what you need to have successful club recognition,” Pignataro said.

Espinal discussed how often the team competes and touched upon his record.

“[We compete] once a week on Saturday. Practice is twice a week, Sundays and Mondays for debaters. The competitions focus on individual placing and we also receive team score but these events are more focused on individual performances. This season I placed second at Stow and fourth at Wadsworth, for my event, Congressional debate,” Espinal said.

John Kerezy has coached the Speech and Debate team for the past eight years. He discussed his role on the team.

“I schedule competitions and practices and ensure that everyone is ready to compete when the time comes and provide general advice. This year we brought in a new coach from outside the district, Ms. Hayley Cargill from Glen Oak is assisting our team with the speaking side of the club,” Kerezy said.

Kerezy also discussed his mantra for the team.

“I always tell my students, ‘Proper prior preparation promotes perfect performance,’ ” Kerezy said.

Due to a variety of factors not limited to the contribution of various veterans and the hiring of a new coach, Hayley Cargill, the Revere Speech and Debate team has continued their successful season. The team will next compete Saturday, December 19th at Highland High School.