John R. Park Debate Society Hosts 14th Annual Beehive Bonanza for High Schools
The Department of Communication’s John R. Park Debate Society hosted the 14th annual Beehive Bonanza on October 4-5. The event featured competition in 4 debate events and 8 individual public speaking events. In addition to scholarships at the University of Utah, top competitors earned bids to prestigious end-of-season tournaments like the Tournament of Champions (hosted by the University of Kentucky) and the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). The tournament brought over 600 people to campus from 30 high schools, representing five states, and was the season opener for most competitors.
“Bringing people to campus is one of the best ways to introduce potential students, and their parents, to the U,” said Director of Forensics, Dr. Jeannie Hunt. “Because the tournament is spread out, they get to see various parts of campus, spend time in the Union, interact with members of our team and College of Humanities Student Ambassadors, and get a feel for the campus.”
The two-day tournament provides students with opportunities to compete in both speech and debate events, something that isn’t always available at high school tournaments. In addition to competition, the Bonanza provides Novice Clinics in the debate events to help kick-start the season for new students.
After two days of competition and over 300 collective speech and debate rounds, Corner Canyon High School became tournament championships, followed by West High School and Park City High School, respectively.
The Debate Society plans to continue its high school outreach with a free Winter Clinic on Friday, December 13th.