Competitive Speech & Debate

The ACDS Speech and Debate Team

Competitive Speech and Debate at Almaden Country Day School is a fun and exciting way for students in grades 6-8 to develop their public speaking and debate skills under the guidance of nationally-renowned Coach Chris Wardner. Students take an elective class in the first trimester to prepare for competition. 

The ACDS Speech team participates in both middle and high school invitational tournaments including the State and National championship tournaments. In 2021, ACDS was named a School of Excellence, an honor only the top 20 teams in the country can receive. 

Speech & Debate Tournament Highlights

The Almaden Country Day School Competitive Speech and Debate Team placed at these tournaments:

• 2022 Gray Middle School Tournament: Tournament Champion and 6th Original Oratory, 4th Duo Interpretation, Tournament Champion Declamation, Tournament Champion, 3rd, 5th, 6th Humorous Interpretation, 5th Storytelling
• 2022 Highlands Middle School Tournament: Tournament Champion and 5th Original Oratory, 4th Duo Interpretation, Tournament Champion, 2nd and 6th Humorous Interpretation, Tournament Champion and 2nd Declamation
• 2022 Bixby Green Corn Classic: Tournament Champion Duo Interpretation, Tournament Champion, 2nd and 3rd Original Oratory, Tournament Champion, 2nd and 3rd Declamation, Tournament Champion and 2nd Informative, Tournament Champion, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Humorous Interpretation
• 2021 Scholars Invitational: Bronze Informative Speaking, Bronze Original Oratory, Silver Original Oratory, Gold Original Oratory, Bronze and Gold Declamation, Bronze Storytelling, Gold Humorous Interpretation
• 2021 John Lewis Invitational: Tournament Champion, 3rd and 6th Novice Humorous Interpretation, 2nd Novice Declamation
• 2021 NSDA National Tournament Showcase: Showcase Champion Humorous Interpretation and Declamation 
• 2021 CMSF State Championships: 2nd Humorous Interpretation
• 2021 SCJFL League Championship: Tournament Champion Duo Interpretation, 2nd and 3rd Declamation
• 2021 CHSSA State Tournament: 3rd Sweepstakes, State Champion Duo Interpretation, State Champion Storytelling, State Champion Humorous Interpretation
• 2021 Southern States Invitational: Tournament Champion Duo Interpretation, 2nd Impromptu Speaking
• 2021 SCJFL League 3: Tournament Champion Humorous Interpretation, 2nd Duo Interpretation
• 2021 Henry Clay: 3rd Declamation
• 2021 Bardstown Blizzard: 2nd Humorous Interpretation
• 2021 Gray MS Tournament: Tournament Champion Humorous Interpretation, Tournament Champion Impromptu Speaking, 3rd Humorous Interpretation, 2nd Place and 3rd Declamation
• 2021 Highlands MS Tournament: Tournament Champion Declamation and Humorous Interpretation, 2nd Impromptu Speaking and Humorous Interpretation, 3rd Declamation
• 2021 Cabot Classic: 4th Informative 
• 2021 SCJFL League 1: 2nd and 3rd Duo Interpretation
• 2020 John Lewis Invitational: Tournament Champion, Runner Up and 6th Humorous Interpretation, Tournament Champions Duo Interpretation
• 2020 Wolpert-Gawron Invitational: 2nd and 3rd Duo Interpretation, Tournament Champion and 4th Declamation
• 2020 NSDA Middle School Challenge: Showcase Champion Congress Authorship Speech

• 2020 SCJFL National Invitational: Tournament Champion, 2nd and 4th Dramatic Interpretation, Tournament Champion and 3rd Duo Interpretation
• 2020 CMSF State Championships: State Champion, 2nd, and 3rd Dramatic Interpretation, State Champion Duo Interpretation, 8th Overall Sweepstakes

• 2020 Golden State Invitational: Tournament Champion Spontaneous Argumentation, Tournament Co-Champion Declamation, 2nd and 3rd Humorous Interpretation, 2nd and 3rd Dramatic Interpretation

• 2020 Berman Invitational: Tournament Champion, 2nd and 3rd Dramatic Interpretation, Tournament Champion Novice Spontaneous Argumentation

• 2020 Stanford Invitational: 2nd Dramatic Interp, 5th Humorous Interpretation 

• 2019 Panther Invitational: Tournament Champion Dramatic Interp, Tournament Champions and 2nd Duo Interpretation
• 2019 Bay Area Congressional Debate: Chamber Champion 

• 2019 Burnett Invitational: Tournament Champion Duo Interpretation

• 2019 NSDA National Championships: 7th Humorous Interpretation, 9th Storytelling

• 2019 Middle School State Championships: State Champion, 3rd, 5th Humorous Interp. State Champion, 2nd, 5th Storytelling
• 2019 Bay Area Middle School Championships: 2nd Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd and 3rd Humorous Interpretation, 2nd Duo Interpretation

• 2019 Stanford Invitational: 3rd Duo Interpretation, 2nd and 4th Humorous Interpretation

• 2018 Panther Invitational: Tournament Champion, 2nd, 3rd Humorous Interpretation, Tournament Champions and 2nd Duo Interpretation, 3rd Dramatic Interp

• 2018 NSDA Middle School National Championships: Humorous Interpretation Quarter Finalist


Click here for full LIST OF results

About Chris Wardner

Mr. Wardner has been the Public Speaking teacher and Director of Speech and Debate at Almaden Country Day School for over 25 years. He is a National Speech and Debate Association Three Diamond coach and was named the 2021 Middle School Coach of the Year. Mr. Wardner also coaches at Leland High School, which has been awarded the National Speech and Debate Association School of Distinction given to the top ten schools in the country. During his tenure, numerous students have reached the State and National tournament final rounds where 2 were named National Championships, 6 Showcase Champions, and 10 State Championships.

For more information on Almaden Country Day School’s Competitive Speech and Debate Program, please read our FAQs and/or contact Coach Chris Wardner.