I. Membership
A. The North Catholic forensic program is open
to all students who adhere to the following guidelines as established by the
administration of the school:
1.
North Catholic will follow the WPIAL/PIAA guidelines regarding the
passing of three major courses. However, it is strongly recommended that the
student be passing all subjects.
2.
Students involved in serious disciplinary problems may be prevented from
participating in their activity.
3.
In order to
practice or participate in an activity, students must be in school by
4.
Any student who has a serious indebtedness to North Catholic will be
unable to participate in their activity.
B.
Students may join the North Catholic forensic program at any time. In
order to receive "credit" for participation for any one year, a
student must earn 25 competition points in that year. (The assigning of points
for competition is described in the National Forensic League manual.) Students
who do not earn 25 points are considered inactive, and it is up to the
discretion of the coach as to whether or not the student is given credit for
participation on permanent records and transcripts.
C.
Because the cost of competition is extremely high, members of the team
are required to help defray costs through several means.
1.
There is a membership fee of $25.00 for each student. This is an upfront
membership fee and is in addition to any money that the student may earn
through fundraising. This is used primarily to fund team and individual
memberships in the national and local groups to which North Catholic HS
belongs.
2.
Students will be asked to pay a per-tournament fee. This fee will vary
depending on the particular tournament, but the minimum will always be $3.00.
Because some tournaments involve higher entry fees, greater transportation
costs, and lodging, participation in some tournaments may cost substantially
more. Sometimes that cost can be partially satisfied through money that is
designated for the forensic team through school fundraisers. Because some students compete more than
others, they sometimes use up their fundraising money and then need to
contribute in cash towards the cost of a tournament.
3.
In all cases, the coach makes the final decision as to individual cost
per tournament. It is hoped that a student would never forego competition
because of individual costs.
D.
Each year students and parents must complete and return to the Director
of Forensics a permission slip and a medical records form. These papers are
kept on file for the year.
II. Events
A. The following events are open to all
students on a regular basis:
1.
Policy debate - Sometimes called team debate because a student debates
with a partner on policy issues of the day.
2.
Lincoln Douglas debate - Single debaters argue both sides of a value
resolution.
3.
Public Forum debate – A team of debaters argues on a current events
topic that changes monthly.
4.
Oral interpretation of literature - Students choose a prose or poetry
selection and read it for a judge.
5.
Dramatic interpretation of literature - Students choose a portion of a
play, memorize and deliver it with correct character and mood interpretations.
6.
Original oratory - Competitors write and deliver a memorized persuasive
or informative speech on a subject of their own choosing.
7.
Extemporaneous speaking - Given a limited amount of preparation time,
students write and deliver a speech on a current topic of national or
international interest.
8.
Duo interpretation of literature - Students follow the guidelines for
dramatic interpretation, but work with a partner on a play that involves two
characters.
B. The following events are open to students
who compete in one or more of the above listed categories. These events are
sometimes national or state qualifiers, but they do not occur with any
frequency during the year.
1.
Student congress - Students participate in a congress session -
researching, writing and debating legislation.
2.
Impromptu speaking - Given a very limited amount of preparation time,
students write and deliver a short speech on a topic of general interest.
3.
Extemporaneous commentary - Students follow the guidelines for
extemporaneous speaking, but topics are not worded as questions, are
open-ended, and students are permitted to offer more opinion than in extemp.
4.
Declamation -
Open only to freshmen and sophomores, this category involves inding a speech
written by another individual, memorizing it, and delivering it.
A. Meetings are held two or three times a
year, before school at
Information is passed
along to students and parents through PA announcements, a biweekly newsletter
to students and a bi-monthly newsletter to parents. Students and parents are
expected to share all this information with each other.
B. Debate practices are scheduled by the
coach, and usually occur on a regular basis, the same day of each week.
Individual event
practices are scheduled at the convenience of the student and the coach. In
order to set up a practice, the student should sign up on the practice board in
the rear of Room A-3. Students should practice at least once a week throughout
the season, and once or twice a week before any tournament.
IV. Tournaments
A. For the most part, the tournament season
runs from October through February. National and state qualifiers take place at
the end of February and throughout March; the state tournament is scheduled for
the end of March; Catholic nationals take place over the Memorial Day weekend;
National Forensic League nationals occur the third week in June.
B.
Sign-ups for tournaments are posted in the rear of Room A-3. Students
must sign up at least one week before a tournament (some deadlines require even
earlier registration). Once a student has signed up, judges and transportation
are arranged so a student is responsible for the registration fee for that
tournament.
C.
Generally, all students are expected to participate in all tournaments.
The exception to this would be the overnight tournaments when students are
invited by the coach to participate. For state and national qualifiers,
students are assigned participation slots based on their participation and
performance throughout the year. These slots are also somewhat controlled by
league rules. For the sake of team performance, participation in all qualifiers
is mandated for all members, unless otherwise advised by the coach.
D. When participating in tournaments, members
are required to wear clothing that is professional and business-like. Men
should always wear ties; women should always wear skirts or dresses. Travel attire may be casual, provided that
there is sufficient time to change into other clothes at the tournament site.
E. All rules in the student handbook apply to
behavior at forensic functions. It should also be noted that the coach, or the
designated chaperon, has the right to establish any particular rules that are
needed for a given tournament, such as curfews and time away from the
tournament site.
V. The North
Catholic invitational tournament
A. All members of the North Catholic forensic
program are required to assist in the preparation for, and administration of,
the North Catholic tournament, usually scheduled for the third Saturday in
December. This is a major fundraiser for the team, and helps to defray the
costs of all tournaments for all individuals.
B. Generally, members of the forensic team are
needed to set up schedules, compile forms, arrange classrooms before the
tournament. On the day of the competition, members are needed to assist area
coaches in the tab room, to work in the cafeteria, and to assist with clean up.
C. Forensic families are asked to assist by
providing baked goods or other such items for the cafeteria, and by working at
the tournament as tab room help, cafeteria help, or as judges.
VI. Team awards
A. In addition to individual awards that
members win at competitions, and in addition to the levels of achievement that
the National Forensic League offers, members of the North Catholic forensic
team are presented with awards at the annual forensic night, usually held
during the third week of May. These awards do vary from year to year, and have
included categories as varied as "participation," "student
coach," and "spirit," but they are intended to honor individuals
who have worked for the team throughout the year.
B. The North Catholic forensic team also
recognizes individuals at the school-sponsored "Arts and Activities
Night." These are generally individuals whose forensic achievements are of
interest to the entire North Catholic community.
Any items not specifically mentioned or
referred to here are handled on an individual basis in accordance with school
policy. Questions or comments are welcomed, particularly in regards to future
revision.