FSHS orators among best in nation

Students in the debate and forensics program at Fort Scott High School can add another honor to their growing list of accomplishments.

The FSHS program was recently recognized as one of the top 100 programs in the nation by the National Forensics League (NFL). FSHS ranks 70th out of more than 3,000 schools nationwide based on student participation and excellence in speech and debate activities, according to a statement from the NFL.

This is the second consecutive year that the the FSHS program has been ranked in the top 100 nationally, FSHS debate and forensics coach Brian Weilert said.

"It is a commitment to not only participate in an activity but to do so at a level that reflects your actual talent," Weilert said when asked what he believes it takes to earn this distinction.

Weilert said the program's coaching staff "always preaches individual excellence," and encourages team members to "be the best you can be."

"This approach has had buy-in from students on the squad," Weilert said. "We talk about this as not just a debate and forensics issue but a life issue. Pursuit of the best form of ourselves has relevance in all aspect of one's journey. I am proud that these students worked toward this goal and as a result, recognition takes care of itself. What people might not know is that Kansas is one of the top states in the country when it comes to debate. We have many schools and students ranked in the country."

Last year, the FSHS program ranked in the top 100 out of about 2,700 schools. The NFL has added more than 300 schools since then, Weilert said.

The FSHS team is like a family, which is important to the team's success, Weilert said.

"Most teams and coaches will speak on the close-knit nature of their squads," he said. "This activity requires you to spend a lot of time together. However, I feel that for many of our students we act as a proxy family. There is structure, goals, and common interests that pull us together. One other issue is that most of our kids do not look to do the class minimum but would go beyond what the state allows if they were able ... We are blessed to have incredibly talented, smart students."

Some of the team's members have earned individual achievements as well. Angel West currently ranks 75th in the nation out of more than 30,000 students. Daniel Lyon ranks in the top 10 of current high school juniors, Weilert added.

When he began coaching debate about 14 years ago, Weilert said he knew very little about the subject and "learned right along with my students."

"I debated one year in high school and was never taught the activity," he said. "I had great mentors from other high schools who helped elevate my coaching. I also coached wrestling and my philosophy of pursuit of individual excellence is what I transferred to my debate and forensics teams. I love my job, my students know this is true and not just rhetoric. As a result, many of them learn to love the activity as well."

FSHS debate and forensics teams have accomplished much in 2009. Earlier this year, both the FSHS debate and forensics teams won state championships, the first time FSHS has claimed both a debate and forensics state title in the same year. Sixteen students from the debate and forensics program qualified for national competition this summer.

The debate and forensics program has qualfied 47 competitors to the national tournament in the past four years, which is the most in Kansas during this time period.

A group of FSHS students earned a state title in 4-speaker debate at the state competition in January, the first time a team from Fort Scott has earned the state title in that type of competition.

Schools that are ranked in the NFL's top 100 list are published in Rostrum, the national magazine of high school speech, and on www.nflonline.org, the Web site of the NFL.