Dear ~[[first_name]]~:

I hope this message finds you and yours well and staying healthy. To say this is one of the most extraordinary years in our lifetime and our careers in education is an understatement, but one thing I've been grateful for is technology being able to keep us connected despite the distancing we must practice to protect one another.  

Online Contests

WHSFA made the determination to exclusively offer all our interscholastic contests online. Several factors drove that decision; those are outlined on our COVID-19/Virtual Contests page. This is complemented by advocacy information to share with administrators; several other state activity/forensic associations across the country have pivoted to online contests, including the National Speech & Debate Association, which successfully ran their massive national tournament (that includes a middle level division) online in June. We are halfway through our autumn One-Act Play/Theatre season, and several schools have done innovative, important work in providing a creative outlet for students eager to have something extra/co-curricular to do.  Much in the same way, our forensic Speech and Debate students wish to express themselves and explore important issues through developing compelling speeches, cutting and performing vivid literature, spontaneously responding to various prompts, and refuting opposing arguments. Online contests are a safe, accessible, and equitable way of making that happen.

Words of Inspiration

WHSFA Board Chair Kam-Lin Roswall of Holmen HS said, "Coaching this season is more than just focusing on contests. We are also fostering a positive environment for students and ourselves this year. It is a platform for not only those seniors on your team who have worked hard over the past four years, but also the rest of the team will build and continue to foster relationships and build excitement for future seasons." Want more sage wisdom from Kam-Lin on running virtual practices? Watch the video linked/embedded below!

Since we are one of the few interscholastic activities that has a fully accessible, online program, your students will have access to something regardless of whether they're learning virtually, attending with a hybrid schedule, or fully in-person. With kids likely having few choices of creative outlets outside of school, this is something we wanted to make available for as many young people as we could.

Virtual Speech Season Overview Video

To provide an overview of the virtual season, watch the informative video I posted this week to our Middle Level Contests page, where there is more detailed information, including this year's updated Handbook, as well as several detailed FAQs specific to this upcoming virtual season. We still have some issues our Advisory Committee is determining, including recommendations and rules specific to how to record videos (they are reviewing some lessons learned from our One-Act Play season). 

We highly suggest visiting the Middle Level Contests page for further details and to download a copy of the Middle Level Handbook with updated category rules. We'll be sending a separate message in the coming weeks specific to the exciting Debate pilot we are doing during the Speech season this year, which will be open to any middle level student, including those also planning to participate in a Speech category. However, if you have another teacher at your school who might be interested in coaching debaters, you can share that message with them!

Middle Level Adjudicator Training

Next month (December), we are rolling out a free tutorial-based (asynchronous/at your own pace), online Middle Level Adjudicator (Judge) training course, which will include considerations we want adjudicators to be mindful of when evaluating online. 

Free Professional Development

One of the silver linings of this pandemic is how it's made us all more comfortable with videoconference platforms online (such as Zoom), and how accessible that has made professional development opportunities. Therefore, to connect coaches to more resources as a benefit of membership, we will offer a number of evening and Saturday morning webinars in December, January, and early February with such topics as:

• New coach
• Considerations for coaching online
• Recruiting strategies
• Finding literary material for performance
• Adjudicator best practices & Q&A
• Category rules interpretations
• Drop-in Q&A state office "open house"

We are working on finalizing co-facilitators and dates, and will send an email blast just about that opportunity once we schedule them. If you are feeling overwhelmed by this "current new normal" we are in, these webinars will be an opportunity for you to come together, share best practices, and most important, to know you are not alone.

This may all seem overwhelming, but as the One-Act Play/Theatre season has shown us, educators and their students are resilient and can do amazing work in spite of the challenges that face us all. We must simply take it one step at a time, and be willing to ask for help when we need it. Wisconsin has a robust and supportive Speech community. You are not alone.

With warmth and support,
Adam