Missoula School District One will be hosting a high school speech and debate tournament this Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12.

"This event on Friday and Saturday is just the first of what might be several events where we host students from all around the state," said MCPS Communications Director Hatton Littman. "They will be competing at both Sentinel and Big Sky High Schools in different speech and debate competitions."

Littman said local judges are needed for the tournament.

"Every year the speech and debate coaches solicit local judges as a volunteer opportunity," she said. "It can be just a couple of hours or a whole day. We often have teachers and administrators who may be out of school that day volunteering their time, but we also have a lot of people who are parents or community members, grandparents or retirees, who are just interested in seeing some amazing student academic talent."

Littman said special training is available on Wednesday, November 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Sentinel High School.

"I can tell you this," she said. "Everybody that I've ever interacted with who has had the opportunity to judge has come away from it just astounded by the student talent that they witnessed."

For more information, and to register as a judge, please visit the speech and debate website. 

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