Empowering

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Debate

When students have opportunities to speak in public at a young age, they gain confidence and skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

It’s an honor and a privilege to be coached by Mike Shackelford, and he deserves immense amounts of praise for both the success Rowland Hall has found debating and the truly uplifting and positive environment on the team.—Layla Hijjawi ’23, Harvard University

Debate is an essential element of an educated, productive, and ethical community. It fosters critical thinking and communication skills for the 21st century while providing students with a forum to nurture their sense of advocacy. While debate intentionally appears across the curriculum, it's our competitive team, led by celebrated coach Mike Shackelford, that distinguishes Rowland Hall as the strongest debate program in the Intermountain West. Rowland Hall was recognized as a Debate School of Excellence by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) in 2010 and is consistently ranked in the top 10 percent of schools nationwide for member degrees. In addition, our debate team has claimed the last four overall 3A speech and debate state championships (2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024).

Meet Mikee

2019 Utah High School Activities Association Speech Educator of the Year
2017–2018 NSDA State Educator of the Year for Utah
2016 National District Chair of the Year for his leadership in the NSDA
2014 Utah Debate Coaches Association Policy Debate Coach of the Year
Debaters who excel get to call Mr. Shackelford "Mikee"

Full Bio

Background Info

Middle School Team

Speech and debate is an essential part of the Middle School. Required in the sixth grade as part of the Foundations curriculum, students develop strong communication, argumentation, and advocacy skills. Middle schoolers have additional elective options to explore debate in the seventh and eighth grades in competitive and non-competitive environments. Students who officially join the team will have tournament opportunities in the third and fourth quarters.

Upper School Team

Every year, debate students qualify to the Tournament of Champions and are active in many national organizations. In the last five years, our debate program has produced 14 individual state champions, 16 national qualifiers, and 13 Academic All-Americans, while also sending students to college on debate scholarships. The Upper School (high school) team is made up of approximately 40 debaters who participate in a variety of events, styles, and divisions. Our most competitive students attend 10 to 12 tournaments and can travel all over the country, while others stay committed to regional and local competitions.

College Matriculation

Historical Timeline

1985: Rowland Hall debate team wins 1A state championship title.

1986: For the second year in a row, the debate team takes the 1A state title.

1987: Rowland Hall becomes an official member of the National Forensic League, now named the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). Nine students are on the team.

1988: Students qualify to the National Speech and Debate Tournament for the first time. Coaches are Carl Sturges and Frank Langheinrich.

1989: Deseret News reports that Rowland Hall ties for first place in the Abe Lincoln Invitational Debate Tournament, competing against much larger schools under a special 1A classification. Libero Della Piana ’89 wins trophies in three different events. Team captains were Matt Rogers ’90, Liz Abaunza ’89, Sutton Snook ’90, Sarah Culp ’89, and Jenni Langheinrich ’89.

1995: Rowland Hall wins its first District Debate Sweeps Award, given to the top school in the Great Salt Lake District.

1997: Neeta Bidwai ’97 sets record for most career NSDA points in the Great Salt Lake District (coached by Frank Langheinrich).

1999: Ryan Hoglund (now our director of ethical education) begins coaching the team.

2001: Rowland Hall qualifies to the Tournament of Champions (TOC) for the first time (Elisabeth Page ’01).

2004: Students make it to elimination rounds for the first time at the National Speech and Debate Tournament (Claire Anderson ’04 and Karla Penman ’04).

2007: At the TOC in spring, two students (Chase Burton ’08 and Cyrus Akrami ’07) make it to the elimination rounds for the first time. Mike Shackelford begins coaching the team in the fall.

2010: Andrew Arsht ’10 and Mario Feola ’10 make it to the final round at the National Speech and Debate Tournament and finish as runners-up.

2011: NSDA recognizes Rowland Hall as a National Debate School of Excellence. Middle School team wins its first state championship.

2012: Alum Andrew Arsht ’10 (Georgetown University) wins College National Championship.

2014: Middle School team wins its second state championship. Mike Shackelford wins Policy Debate Coach of the Year from the Utah Debate Coaches Association.

2015: Rowland Hall qualifies three teams to the TOC (Caitlin Walrath ’15 and Camila Reed-Guevara ’15; Claire Wang ’15 and Emily Gordon ’16; and Jaden Lessnick ’16 and Elliot Kovnick ’15). Two finish in the sweet 16. Students win the 3A policy state championship and the inaugural Utah Tournament of Excellence. Director of Ethical Education Ryan Hoglund, former debate coach, is inducted into Utah Debate Coaches Hall of Fame.

2016: Rowland Hall gathers the most TOC bids in the country, finishes second at the National Debate Coaches Association National Championships, and wins a variety of elite local and national tournaments during the regular season. Seven students qualify to the National Speech and Debate Tournament. The team continues its streak of five straight District Debate Sweeps Awards. Mike Shackelford wins National District Chair of the Year for his leadership in the NSDA. There are 50 students on the Upper School team and another 12 in Middle School.

2017: NSDA names Mike Shackelford the 2017–2018 State Educator of the Year for Utah. Read our news story.

2019: Rowland Hall has its best TOC finish in school history. Sydney Young ’19 and Adrian Gushin ’20 finish third in the country. The Utah High School Activities Association recognizes Mike Shackelford with a 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

2020: The debate team stays consistent in a time of uncertainty, winning its fourth consecutive state championship in policy debate, qualifying more students to nationals than any other school in state, and participating at the first ever virtual TOC. Five seniors graduate as Academic All-Americans.

2021: The debate team embraces a virtual competition format, ultimately claiming the title of 3A Speech & Debate Champions for the first time in school history.

2022: After a season of mixed virtual and in-person tournaments, Rowland Hall debaters successfully defend their state title, earning a second consecutive state championship.

2023: Rowland Hall Debate successfully defends their state championship, claiming the title for the third year in a row.

2024: Rowland Hall Debate claims their fourth consecutive state title.

Middle School and Upper School Debate Courses

Middle School

Middle School

Upper School

Upper School

Debate News in Fine Print Magazine

Rowland Hall lower schoolers have fun on the bus.

5 of Our Most Exciting Stories of 2024

Rowland Hall debaters traveled to Taiwan for an international tournament at the Taipei American School, Oct. 2024.

Rowland Hall Debate, One Step Closer to World Domination

Rowland Hall Advanced Research Chemistry students presented original research at the American Chemical Society conference.

Advanced Research Classes Immerse Students in Real-World Questions, Further Rowland Hall’s Strategic Vision

Rowland Hall high schoolers attending the 2024 Utah state Mock Trial competition.

Mock Trial and Model United Nations Classes Spread Debate Benefits in Middle and Upper Schools

Section Menu

A national orientation inspires us to work harder to defeat major debate schools across the country, and incentivizes a stronger feeling of community.—Caroline Nielsen ’12, Pomona College

Nothing forges lifelong memories like debate. The preparation, the struggles of competition, the travel, and the freedom to share your thoughts; they all contribute to a strong shared experience that results in lasting friendships.—Jordan Friedman ’10, University of Southern California

Debate was the most important class I took here. From the analytical reasoning, fast-paced thinking, and exposure to materials not presented in any core class, debate enriched my high school experience in more ways than I can even say.—Cyrus Akrami ’07, Dartmouth College

These kids are incredible! It’s easy to say, but it’s harder to actually comprehend how much work this team puts in to consistently remain nationally competitive and locally dominant.—Layla Hijjawi ’23, Harvard University

Debate helped me develop a voice. I'm more confident in expressing my opinions and I know how to respectfully disagree with others and argue my thoughts.—Rustin Armknecht ’16, Lafayette College

More Testimonials (PDF)

The Benefits of Debate (PDF)

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