SPEECH
Help Take our Team to NSDA Nationals in Richmond, Virginia - June 16 - 20, 2026!
Attending the National Speech & Debate Association Nationals 2026 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to compete on the most prestigious stage in speech and debate. Qualifying means they already rank among the best, and Nationals challenges them to rise even higher. Supporting students on their journey to NSDA Nationals 2026 is an investment in future leaders — in young people who are learning how to think critically, speak courageously, and engage thoughtfully with the world.
For them, it’s not just a trip.
It’s a milestone.
It’s a platform.
It’s an opportunity to rise.
Thank you for your tax-deductible donation to support our Culver City Middle School students!
You can also support our students by attending
Clash of the Cliches - a night of hilarious debates between Culver City Electeds & our CCMS Debate Students
Date & Time: Thursday, April 30th - 6 pm - 8 pm
Location: The Village Well
Or: Shop at The Village Well from April 30th - May 3rd & use the code word SPEECH to get 20% of all proceeds donated to the team.
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The Speech Team is an afterschool program that gives students an opportunity to compete in a variety of events that are designed to engage them in communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
We are looking forward to the second year of the CCMS Speech & Debate Team! This year (25-26) we are debuting a program in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, along with all of the speech and interpretive events that we offered last year.
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Weekly attendance at practice is mandatory, so students need to be able to dedicate themselves to this activity and have a clear schedule every Thursday. There will also be homework--writing, memorizing, and researching that will be required at times between practices.
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Participation in at least 4 tournaments a year is mandatory.
Tournaments take place on weekends and allow the students an opportunity to present their work and compete with other middle school students. Online tournaments will be hosted at CCMS, where students will compete together as a team. -
All student members will also be part of an honors society associated with participation in speech and debate through the National Speech & Debate Association. This membership follows them through high school and includes honors cords at 8th and 12th grade graduations.
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Speech programs are not common at middle schools in our area, outside of private schools and a few charter schools, and this team will ensure that our students are afforded every opportunity to grow and have fun in this academic sport. CCHS does have a high school team that students can advance to when they complete 8th grade.
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Review the Student & Parent / Guardian Expectations Form here. (This form is required to be turned in by new and returning students.
CCMS Campus Map
Current news:
Saturday, April 11th Online Debate Tournament @ CCMS - Register to Compete & Volunteer
Download the blank permission form for 4.11.26
Interested in joining the CCMS Speech Team 2026 - 2027?
CONTACT
Gina Polesetsky, Speech Coach speech@pantherpartners.com
COST
$350/semester + $20/per speech & IE event/per tournament & $30/per debate event
Scholarships will be available for students who want to participate, but are unable to pay fees
Apply for scholarships using https://tinyurl.com/SpeechScholarship
WHERE
CCMS Room 218
Interested students and parents can fill out this form to be kept in the loop on next year's team.
Expenses for the Speech Team are being generously subsidized by the Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF).
Thank you for the generous support of our community partner, The Village Well.
Parents, we need volunteers to help mentor students at practice. If you can volunteer even one or a few practices, it is appreciated. For volunteering at tournaments, a separate signup will be sent out for each tournament.
Practice Schedule
Fall Practice Dates |
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09/18/2025 |
09/25/2025 |
10/09/2025 |
10/16/2025 |
10/23/2025 |
10/30/2025 |
11/06/2025 |
11/13/2025 |
11/20/2025 |
12/04/2025 |
12/11/2025 |
Spring Practice Dates |
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01/08/2026 |
01/15/2026 |
01/22/2026 |
01/29/2026 |
02/05/2026 |
02/12/2026 |
02/19/2026 |
02/26/2026 |
03/12/2026 |
03/19/2026 |
04/09/2026 |
04/16/2026 |
04/23/2026 |
04/30/2026 |
05/07/2026 |
05/14/2026 |
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Winter End-of-Term Party: December 11th 2025, 2:45pm - 4:45pm
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Spring End-of-Term Party & Awards: May 23rd 2026, 2pm - 5pm
Tentative Schedule
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Friday, October 3, 2025: SCJFL Online Speech Tournament
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Saturday, October 4, 2025: SCJFL Debate Tournament - East Los Angeles College
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Friday, November 7, 2025: SCJFL Speech Tournament - Jefferson Middle School * Students will ride to Jefferson together on the bus, departing at 1 pm from CCMS and parents will pick them up from Jefferson MS.
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NO NOVEMBER DEBATE TOURNAMENT
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Friday, December 5, 2025: SCJFL Speech Tournament - Jefferson Middle School * Students will ride to Jefferson together on the bus, departing at 1 pm from CCMS and parents will pick them up from Jefferson MS.
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Saturday, December 6, 2025: SCJFL Debate Tournament - East Los Angeles College
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Tuesday, January 27, 2026: NSDA Springboard Scrimmage - Online Async & One Live Round for LD at 4 pm
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Friday, February 6, 2026: SCJFL Online Speech Tournament - Culver City Middle School
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Saturday, February 7, 2026: SCJFL Debate Tournament - In-person - Culver City Middle School
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Tuesday, February 24, 2026: NSDA Springboard Scrimmage - Online Async & One Live Round for LD at 4 pm
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Saturday, February 28, 2026: SPEAK Speech & Debate Team Fundraiser Hosted by CCEF - MPR @ CCMS
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Friday, March 6, 2026: SCJFL Speech Tournament - Jefferson Middle School
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Saturday, March 7, 2026: SCJFL Debate Tournament - In-person - Culver City Middle School
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NO APRIL SPEECH TOURNAMENT
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Saturday, April 11, 2026: SCJFL Online Debate Tournament - Culver City Middle School
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Sunday, May 3, 2026: SCJFL So-Cal Champs Speech & Debate Tournament - East Los Angeles College
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Saturday & Sunday, May 16 - 17, 2026: Online CMSF State Championship Speech & Debate Tournament - Culver City Middle School
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Saturday, May 23, 2026: End-of-Year Pool Party & Awards - 2 pm - 5 pm
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Tuesday - Saturday, June 16 - 20, 2026: 2026 Nationals NSDA Middle School Tournament - Richmond, VA
LD - Lincoln Douglas Debate
Limited Prep Events:
IMP - Impromptu Speaking
EXTEMP - Extemporaneous Speaking
SPAR - Spontaneous Argumentation Debate
AP - Assigned Platform
OO - Persuasive Speech
INFO - Informative Speech
PRO - Prose
POE - Poetry
DI - Dramatic Interpretation
HI - Humorous Interpretation
DUO - Duo Interpretation
STO - Storytelling
Gallery
Coaching Team
Frances Jereb, Asst. Coach
Frances Jereb (she/her) is the Asst. Coach for Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Informative, and Original Oratory. She is a Communication student at UC Santa Barbara with broad speech and debate experience in the California Community College Circuit, receiving the Top Speaker Award at the 2024 CCCFA State Championship...
Kevin King, Asst. Coach
Kevin King (he/him) is the Asst. Coach for Informative, Original Oratory, and Interpretive Events. He has extensive experience in coaching high school students in school and summer camp settings, including at the prestigious University of Texas, Austin National Institute of Forensics...
Kyle Ahern, Asst. Coach
Kyle Ahern (he/him) is an assistant coach for speech events. He has served as a lab leader at both the Institute for Speech and Debate and the University of Texas at Austin Institute of Forensics. In addition to his camp experience, Kyle coached the University of Texas at Austin’s AFA-NST 2025 national championship team.
Elodie Tinajero, Asst. Coach
Elodie Tinajero, Jr. (she/they) is the Asst. Coach for Informative, Original Oratory, and Interpretive Events. Elodie is a writer and speech and debate coach located in Peoria, IL. She has eleven years of competitive experience in speech and debate, as well as nine years of coaching experience...
