Happy Summer Vacation!
(Be sure to read the entire post as there are deadlines and assignments within it.)
I hope your vacation has been relaxing, fun, and/or productive. =] If you haven’t checked the team calendar on the website, be sure you do as the camp dates and times are on it. It is important that you are preparing for our camp, as it is less than a month away. Remember too that we will be at Hendrickson High School. If you want to leave campus with another student for the lunch break, be sure to bring a parent note stating with whom you may ride. Also, if you have a laptop, be sure to bring it along with your charger, as we will be in the Art rooms at the north end of the Hendrickson HS. I know many of you are busy and meeting all together is unrealistic prior to camp; therefore, I will be communicating via the team website and GoogleDocs. I expect everyone to follow the website and subscribe to Remind (@4n6pf) so you get notifications about deadlines and requirements.
I also want to give props. Stanley, Juliet, and Preston went to Nationals in June. While other teams were off sightseeing each evening, they were hard at work prepping. Juliet advanced to semi-finals in Senate and was one rank away from the finals round, ranking her tied for 23rd in the nation. While I am proud of her accomplishment, I want to give congrats to the entire team as many of you filed articles, wrote arguments, sat in on cross examinations, and gave feedback. We make each other better when we work together and push one another and this is a perfect example of that.
I read your class evaluations and compiled the data in order to prioritize improvements, and I have attached the document so you can see the data for yourself. The highest priorities were more team dinners, more practices/stop start rounds, writing ballots, flocking improvement, more specific assignments for class and practice to reduce wasted time, team warm ups, and using goals. A few responses confused me so I will private message you for clarification or you can message me if you feel your answer is unclear as per the attached document.
4N6 Activities to Refine 16-17
I know many of you have been away at various camps (primarily debaters) and I am excited to find out what you have learned so we can share with it the team! Please update the Dropbox by adding any new information and carefully removing older files by 7/26. If you are unsure whether or not to delete, err on the side of caution and leave it. Just change the title by adding a ? to the beginning (example: ?Interp Files 15-16) and I will make the call on whether to delete it or not.
Good news! Mr. Vogel has volunteered to be our Assistant Coach this year. He will still be at Pflugerville MS, but will help at some tournaments on Saturdays and will be assisting at camp! Be sure to thank him as he is volunteering and not being paid. I will be sharing your oratory assignments from May with him and he will then be writing comments for you to use in drafting your oratories. If you still want/need to write one, especially if you are a debater not competing in extemp (or even if you are) – submit a topic with 5 sources and a rough outline via google.docs by 7/11 to Elizabeth.waldrop@pfisd.net
Extempers – please file a minimum of 40 articles between 6/1-7/26. Be sure to focus on the following topics.
International Extemp Topic Areas
Africa
The Americas
The Arab Spring: Five Years Later
China, The Koreas, and Japan
Eastern Europe and Russia
Global Energy and Environment
International Economics
International Relations and Organizations
The Middle East
Pakistan, India, and Southeast Asia
U.S. Foreign Policy
Western Europe
The World Next Week
United States Extemp Topic Areas
The 114th Congress
America’s Role Internationally
Contemporary Conflicts over the Bill of Rights
The Courts
Education and the Environment
Entitlements, Health, and Health Care
Military, Defense, and National Security
President Obama’s Last Year
Science and Technology
Social Issues
U.S. Business and Economics
The U.S. Next Week
U.S. Politics and Elections
Also, each extemper needs to create three topic questions (persuasive) AND three current events style questions (multiple choice – 1 correct answer and 3 incorrect distractors) based on any of your 40 articles and submit via google forms by 7/26.
Interpers – by 7/11 I need you to upload a video to our private YouTube channel of you doing a read through of each of your pieces WITH preliminary blocking. I will give feedback by 7/14. Once you have the feedback, make adjustments and begin memorizing. I expect you to be memorized for camp on 7/27. If you want more feedback after 7/14 but before 7/27, I will need it by 7/18, as I will be on vacation after that. Just text me when you have uploaded a new video and I will get the feedback to you.
Leadership – I will be inviting you all to a GoogleForm to discuss camp plans. Be sure to communicate with the members of your events and submit ideas by 7/11 so I can ask questions, finalize plans, and get all copies made by 7/18.
If you have questions or comments, you can contact me via school email Elizabeth.waldrop@pfisd.net or text me at 512-964-8926.
Once you have read this post, please complete the attached form to confirm that you have read and understand the material within.
It’s going to be a great year!
Waldrop =]
Pflugerville Speech & Debate 