About ND Speech & Debate

The Notre Dame Speech and Debate Team (formerly known as Forensics) has a long-standing tradition of excellence in competitive public speaking and debate.  Students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills as well as representing our school at several tournaments throughout the school year.

Meetings will be Tuesday nights at 6:30pm-8:30pm in Rooms 101-102.  Contact Mr. Rizzo for Details.

Coach & Staff:

  • Mr. Sal Rizzo, Head Coach
  • Mr. Stuart Kramer, Assistant Coach
  • Mr. Matias Demichelis, Assistant Coach And Crusader Time Coach
  • Mr. Beck Dolphin, Assistant Coach and Crusader Time Coach

About Coach Sal Rizzo

Coach Rizzo has been involved with the Notre Dame Speech and Debate program (fka Forensics) for 46 years. Under the tutelage of the late Mrs. Eleanor Wise, he competed as a junior and a senior. He volunteered for the program for 14 years and has been the coach for the better part of 30 years. He has coached several state and national award winners including the 2005 National Right to Life Oratory Contest National Champion, the 2014 National Speech and Debate Association Congressional Debate House National Champion and thirteen state champions. Also one of his students was selected to be part of Team USA in World Schools Debate. Our team has won several sweepstakes awards including a Debate Schools of Honor award from the National Speech and Debate Association and three Diocesan Cumulative Sweepstakes awards.  He currently serves as a member of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League District 8 Tournament Committee and has promoted speech and debate in several public appearances including two appearances on the Dare to Care radio program out of Marion, Illinois. He also had the privilege to serve on the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament Committee.  He had the opportunity to introduce two new members of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League Hall of Fame in 2023.  He served as the PA Mideast Regional Coordinator for the National Right to Life Oratory Contest, from 1993-2014 through the support of Pennsylvanians for Human Life, Bethlehem/Easton Chapter of which he had been president from 2004 to 2025.

Judges Training Video:
Here’s the link for the Judges Training video from 10/28/2020.  It’s about 1 hour and 45 minutes and also 1.2GB.  It can be view in a web browser or downloaded and view outside of the browser.  The first 2 minutes are mostly a blank screen so let anyone watching know to skip to the 2:00 minute mark.

Student Officers

President: Joanna Pouobon

Vice-President: Alivia Rieland

Class Representatives:

Junior: Regan Dittmar

Sophomore: Nicholas Agures

Freshman: Kaylee Tsakou

Parent Board

Mrs. Elizabeth Rieland, Chairperson

2005 National Champion

Fr. Stephan Isaac’s Career Highlights

  • 2005 National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest National Winner (see Fr. Stephan’s Championship Speech in Resources section)
  • NSDA Degree of Outstanding Distinction
  • Four-time NCFL National Qualifier: 2003: Original Oratory; 2004: Student Congress Semifinalist; 2005: Student Congress Semifinalist; 2006: Student Congress Finalist
  • Two-time PHSSL State Award winner: 2004: Student Congress, 3rd Place;  2006: Student Congress 3rd Place

Read Testimony

2014 National Champion

Abby Marone’s Career Highlights

  • 2014 NSDA Congressional Debate House National Champion
  • Member of 2014-2015 Team USA World Schools Debate
  • Earned NSDA Degree of Premier Distinction
  • Nine total National Tournament appearances (all in Congressional Debate/Student Congress):
    2012: NCFL, Semifinalist
    2013: Tournament of Champions, Semifinalist; NCFL, Semifinalist; NSDA, Semifinalist
    2013: PHSSL State Champion Student Congress Senate
    2014: Tournament of Champions, 5th place; NCFL, 4th place; NSDA, 1st place
    2015: Tournament of Champions, 5th place;  NSDA, 4th place

Read Testimony

Award Winners

NSDA Wall of Distinction
State and National Award Winners

2014 NSDA Awards Ceremony: House

 

2014 NSDA Awards Ceremony: Debate Schools of Honor

Why Join Speech and Debate?

Top 10 Reasons to Join

Cameron Sauers Testimony

Tinabeth Pina Testimony

2025-2026 Speech and Debate Tournament Schedule (tournaments marked as individual participation are national events that the team does not attend, but students can. Also note that tournament dates and locations may be subject to change.

9/19-21 Yale Invitational – individual participation

10/17-19 New York City Invitational Debate and Speech Tournament – individual participation

10/25 Phillipsburg Invitational
11/1 TBA (ADFL)*

11/5-9 Forensics University Fall Classic (Asynchronous Online)
11/22-11/23 Villiger Tournament at St. Joseph’s University
12/5-12/7: George Mason – individual participation
12/13: LaSalle College HS
12/20: ADFL We Host
1/10: ADFL at Hunterdon Central HS*
1/17: Blue, Maroon, and White NIETOC Qualifier at Shikellamy HS
1/24: Ridge HS
1/30-31: Pennsbury HS (debate can go to 2/1) individual participation
2/7: TBA (ADFL)*
2/21: District 8 State Qualifier We Host (PHSSL)*
2/22: NSDA Congress National Qualifier at TBA*
3/7: ADFL National Qualifier at Northampton Community College Fowler Center*

3/4-8 Forensics University Spring Classic (Asynchronous Online)
3/14-15: NSDA Speech and Debate National Qualifier at TBA*
3/21-22: PHSSL State Tournament at Bloomsburg University*
4/4: NSDA Big Questions National Qualifier at TBA*
April TBA:  Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Video Oratory Contest Deadline (see Mr. Rizzo for details)
April TBA: Tournament Of Champions at University of Kentucky – speech and debate invitational individual participation
4/25: Southern Lehigh HS Spartan Invitational
TBA: National Individual Events Tournament Of Champions at TBA– speech invitational individual participation
5/22-25: NCFL Grand Nationals in Washington, DC
6/14-19: NSDA Nationals in Richmond, VA

TBA: National Finals Pro-Life Oratory Contest at the National Right to Life Convention in TBA.

*denotes league tournament
ADFL = Allentown Diocesan Forensics League, NCFL = National Catholic Forensic League, NSDA = National Speech & Debate Assn, PHSSL = PA High School Speech League,

SCFL = Scranton Catholic Forensics League

Want to read more about Speech and Debate? Check out Rostrum Magazine from the National Speech and Debate Association.

Additional Links

Congratulations to Joanna Pouoban, Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Champion in Student Congress House