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OUR HISTORY:   Telling you who we are and where we're going involves telling you a little about where we've been. The Fullerton Speech and Debate Team is deeply rooted in Fullerton's history.  The team has produced such elite graduates as President Richard Nixon, who was the team’s oratorical champion in 1928. Other famous program graduates include David Boies, a lawyer involved in a number of high profile cases including the Florida recount for former Vice President Al Gore, and 1986 graduate Viet Dinh, a Vietnamese refugee who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and served as assistant attorney general of legal policy in 2001.

After several years without a team, Speech and Debate was re-introduced at Fullerton Union High School in 2000 by instructor Sal Tinajero. Starting with 15 competitors, the program has grown to include more than 100 students and has evolved into a regional power house.  Mr. Tinajero, an Orange County native, earned numerous national and regional speech awards while attending Orange Coast College and Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Additional honors include being named “Hispanic Educator of the Year” in 2005 by Nordstrom and Hispanic Magazine. Along with teaching forensics and U.S. history at FUHS, he is a member of the Santa Ana City Council.

MEETING THE FUTURE:    At FUHS, students begin their forensics career with an introductory course in the various forms of debate and public speaking, including Policy Debate, Congress, Ted Turner Debate, Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Expository, Oratory and Persuasive Speaking, among others.

But preparing for a year of competition begins before the start of the school year. FUHS Speech & Debate students attend a four-week summer camp at the Fullerton campus, where coaches help students develop and master a memorized piece. The intensive training continues throughout the school year with hours of practice at home in front of a mirror, at the front of the classroom, during individual coaching sessions and finally at competitive tournaments. During the nine month school year, the team travels hundreds of miles by airplane, bus and car to attend dozens of local, state and national tournaments.

Hard work pays off. In 2005, the Team earned its first spot at the national championship tournament. A year later, honors included a spot in the Tournament of Champions, which was earned by Fullerton’s 1st Place Debate Team. In 2007 the Speech & Debate Team  won four back-to-back Orange County Speech League Championships and placed 5th in the state finals in April.

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO:   The primary goal of the FUHS Speech & Debate program is to help its graduates continue their post K-12 educations. In its seven-year existence, the program has earned students thousands in scholarship dollars to such schools as University of West Kentucky, Bradley University, University of Wisconsin, UC Irvine, CSU Long Beach, Mt. San Antonio College and others.

The program also helps students develop and sharpen their critical thinking skills, express their thoughts clearly and fluently, while increasing their confidence and poise. What’s more, it provides constant intellectual stimulation and a better understanding of public affairs.