An Interview: Andie Peterson-Longmore, Neenah High School
Hear our interview with Andie Peterson-Longmore of Neenah High School, one of our school partners in Neenah, Wisconsin!
c/o Andie Peterson-Longmore
Tell us about your school and its team.
We have a combined speech and debate team that competes both locally and nationally. Many years ago, as one of the original member schools of the Wisconsin High School Forensics Association and National Speech & Debate Association, Neenah was one of the largest and strongest teams in the midwest. We had over 15 students who competed at the National Speech & Debate Tournament, 4 who were Academic All-Americans, 13 state champions, and many more in top ranks across the nation.
c/o Andie Peterson-Longmore
How does the team work at your school?
At Neenah High School, forensics (speech) and debate were previously two separate extracurriculars; however, recent student-led initiatives have unified the club to create a unified culture with the purpose of sharing student voices and opinions.
Which events do you participate in?
Dramatic Interpretation (DI), Duo Interpretation (DUO), Humorous Interpretation (HI), Poetry (POE), Program Oral Interpretation (POI), Prose (PRO), Storytelling (STO), Commentary (EXC), Declamation (DEC), Expository (EXP), Impromptu (IMP), Informative Speaking (INF), International Extemporaneous Speaking (IX), Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking (MX), Original Oratory (OO), Original Spoken Word Poetry (SW), United States Extemporaneous Speaking (USX), Congressional Debate (House & Senate) (CON), Extemporaneous Debate (XDB), Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD), Public Forum Debate (PF), World Schools Debate (WS)
How could additional funding help your school?
Our school cannot support us in our trips to tournaments. Each year, our students have to fundraise and pay out of pocket in order to attend, usually in excess of $600 per student. To help offset those costs, we would use additional funding to pay for our entries. Last year, we had $935 in entry fees and we expect to have the same or more this year. We can lower 11 students’ costs, each by around $85.
