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The Spoken Art Speech and Debate Team

On Saturday February 24, 2018, The Art Institute of Houston made history by participating in its first ever debate tournament.

The Spoken Art Speech and Debate Team, sponsored by the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Speaking by Design, was off to a great start with members Sharon Harkless, AAS, Graphic & Web Design and Richard Espinosa, BS, Audio Production at the helm.

Competition was tough, but this team of 2 did not relent as they rose to the challenge of battling against some of the nations’ top debate teams. Rice University’s Round Robin Debate Tournament welcomed teams from University of California-Berkley, University of North Texas, Rice University, Grand Canyon, William Jewell College, Concordia University and Texas Tech University. The Spoken Art Speech and Debate Team faced more seasoned, highly skilled debaters and with only 3 ½ weeks to prepare for six topics, they stood strong and persevered.

Says the team coach and QEP Coordinator, James Keller, “We did not learn about Rice University’s debate tournament until the beginning of January, but decided that it would be most beneficial to participate, seeing the opportunity for exposure, networking with top debate teams, creating alliances, and learning about how debate competitions operate.”

Way to go team!