Speech & Debate

Speech and Debate is a competitive activity that revolves around public speaking, argumentation, and performance, offering students the chance to compete in a variety of events, either individually or as part of a team. Ranging from October to Mid-February, tournaments are held across the state, allowing participants to travel, develop their writing, research, and critical thinking skills, and meet new people while having fun. Within each tournament, students can choose to compete in either speech events or debate events, but not both.

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Connie Moothart

Hello! My name is Connie Moothart, and this is my fourth year as head coach at Hellgate. I have been teaching Spanish here since 2018, but have been involved in Speech and Debate since my high school days. As a student at Sentinel High School, I competed in Original Oratory, Duo Interpretation, Impromptu, and Extemporaneous speaking. I have worked as a volunteer coach at Sentinel, and as an assistant at Loyola Sacred Heart, where I coached for three years. I am excited about continuing to build the team and see success in competition like we did last year!

If you have any questions about speech and debate here at Hellgate, I can be reached at cmoothart@mcpsmt.org

Kail Hollander

Kail Hollander has coached debate at Hellgate since Fall of 2020. He competed for Glacier High School in Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Legislative Debate, qualifying for nationals three times. Kail placed in the top 8 in Extemporaneous Debate and the top 20 for Public Forum Debate in 2012 and 2013 respectively. He went on to compete for Carroll College, winning the Orv Iverson Regional MVP award as well as Rookie of the Year for the division. Kail was awarded Debate Coach of the Year in Montana for the 2022/23 Season. He currently works as an RN in the Adolescent Inpatient Unit at St. Patrick's Hospital.

Eligibility Fees & Forms

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN Speech and Debate:

Rank One (http://www.rankonesport.com/content/): At the beginning of the season, students and parents must complete their Risk Disclosure, Travelcard, and Code of Conduct Forms online with Rank One. (You will need your student's ID number to register them for this. For incoming freshmen coming from MCPS, it is the same number as last year. For incoming freshmen from other schools, you can call 406-728-2402 to find out their ID number). Please click on the link, click on the "Parents click here" button in the top right. Click the "Online forms" button, proceed to MCPS and Hellgate High School. Create an account (or login if you already have one), and digitally fill out and sign the forms. You are not required to fill out the Concussion form or complete a physical.

REQUIRED FEES FOR PARTICIPATION IN Speech and Debate

$30 Activity card fee (once per year)
$75 Participation fee (per activity or sport)
$20 NSDA fee (one time/lifetime membership)
Financial assistance is available for those in need – see the activities office to inquire (Leilani Booi and/or Nick Laatsch).

FEES ARE DUE BEFORE FIRST COMPETITION

Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible to participate:

Completed at least 2.0 credits the previous semester - Incoming 9th graders have met this requirement for the fall semester
Travel Paperwork

Volunteer Judges

Volunteer to be a judge today!

Missoula Hellgate, Big Sky, and Sentinel are hosting a speech and debate tournament on November 1st! Click here to sign up to judge!

A few things to note:
All events will be taking place at Hellgate High School this year.
The tournament will be taking place on Saturday Nov. 1st.
Rounds typically last around an hour and half. We request that you are prepared to be at the school for at least 2 hours to account for time to write comments, rounds running long, etc.
We will be hosting an OPTIONAL Judge Clinic if you would like a refresher on elements of judging. This will take place on Wed. 10/29 in the Hellgate Knight Hall.

Light refreshments will be provided for judges :)

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