For most students, the end of the school year marked a collective sigh of relief and an invitation to commence summer activities before their inevitable return to NASH. But for one group of seven rising seniors, that ease would soon be shattered.

About a week after school had ended, the speech and debate officers received an email with shocking news: their beloved coach of more than 20 years, Mrs. Volpe, was stepping away from the head coach position.

For a lot of members, NA Speech and Debate without Volpe was an idea that couldn’t be comprehended. She had been a driving force behind the team’s phenomenal success in recent years and had taken on the enormously demanding job of head coach for so long.

In one old recruiting flyer for the NA Speech and Debate team found online, Volpe writes “We may have been #68 this year. It’s only a matter of time till we get to the top.”

She was right. 

In the years that have passed, the North Allegheny Speech and Debate team has been ranked as high as #12 in the nation. In 2021, NA qualified more students to the PA State Tournament and the National Catholic Forensic League Tournament than ever before. North Allegheny reigns as district and state champions.

But the success that the team had become accustomed to suddenly hung in the balance.

Even heavier than the blow of the team’s backbone departure was the concern of whether they would even be able to function the following year. In order to ensure their continued existence, someone had to step into Volpe’s shoes.

But finding a new coach proved challenging. For most of the summer, the officers waited in a constant state of anticipation for applicants to come in, only to be met with disappointment. The beginning of the year was approaching ominously soon, and there still was little hope in sight. 

With time running out, the officers decided that it was time to take matters into their own hands.

“I know that this is a group of very determined people who will continue to debate and speak regardless of this setback,” Vice-President of Speech Emma Scott said.

The team turned to parents and alumni with a desperate plea for any applicants. They also created a Change.org petition titled “Keep the NA Speech and Debate Team Alive!” which garnered over 650 signatures in less than two weeks.

“We as parents, leaders, and administration need to support our academic athletes,” Emma’s mother, Mrs. Scott, said at a school board meeting, emphasizing the importance of investing in the team.

This support, flooding in from members of the team, students, graduates, parents, and other debaters across the country, was overwhelming to the team officers. 

“I didn’t expect that amount of support at all. I read a lot of the comments, and they made me incredibly happy to see that Speech and Debate has impacted so many people,” said Co-Publicity Director Gloria Wang. “When it comes to academic clubs, we don’t have a visual representation of the support we get like sports teams do with things like student sections. The petition goes to show how important academic organizations are to so many people and that we need to start investing more time and resources into uplifting those who participate in them.”

This momentum then translated to tangible progress. The school is in the process of hiring a new head coach, whose transition into the role will be supported by several parents who offered to apply and former NA debaters who reached out to extend a helping hand during the year. The officers will continue to fight hard for the organization they are clearly extremely passionate about.

“We have opened signups for the high school team and have plans to bring back in-person practices for middle and high school students. Overall, we’re excited to begin this season and hope that many students share the same feeling,” said President Kolitha Perera.

What some students may not realize is that speech and debate is more than just another extracurricular to list on college applications– more than competing, winning tournaments, and filling up the trophy cases outside of Volpe’s room. Speech and debate represents a close-knit community of students who are catalysts for change within the school. It teaches the value of reason, civil discourse, and open-mindedness, amplifies students’ expression on topics they care about, and allows each member’s voice to be heard. To the team, it is a second family.

Rachel Bai, the other Co-Publicity Director, summed up what the team means to hundreds of students: “Speech and Debate has changed my life for the better. Not only has it led me to meet new people and form priceless friendships, but it has helped me grow in unthinkable ways.”