On May 9, BVH’s Speech and Debate team held a showcase in the Bolles theater for students and parents to view speeches prepared by students throughout the school year. Leading up to the showcase, two sophomores Mason Markham and Alexandra Scott have stood out for the powerful dynamic that makes them successful at speech competitions.
“The showcase is an opportunity for the community to see what Speech and Debate members have been working on all year. Speech and Debate has different events to choose from and most of the time you can choose more than one. The showcase will show off some of our best performers in each of the speech events,” Markham said.
The showcase allows performers like Markham and Scott to display speeches they have perfected throughout the school year. Junior Capri Molina who is Marham’s mentor explains that their speech discussed the fight against the U.S. and the Soviet Union (S.U.) about space and struggles for African American women to see the spotlight in NASA.
“Their speech is Hidden Figures which takes place during the Cold War. The U.S. was in a fight against the S.U. about space and [Markham and Scott] came out and told the story about African American women who were hidden behind white men. They portrayed their struggles that were not only dominated by men, but also discrimination against black women. This duo really channels a lot of energy and advocacy, so it is really powerful,” Molina said.
Molina is Markham’s mentor whose role involves taking in Speech and Debate newcomers and teaching them about strategies and upcoming events. Therefore, Molina has worked with Markham since the beginning of the second semester in preparation for the showcase.
“The speech that [Scott] and I do together is a duo interpretation which is to take a piece of literature and act it with no props, looking and touching your partner. The piece we did was Hidden Figures which tells the story of three female NASA engineers of color and each face discrimination, but overcome it to contribute to the moon landing. They are then later seen as equals to their white male counterparts,” Markham said.
As the duo’s speech is a popular story following up with the African American women who face discrimination in NASA being hidden by white men, it immediately stood out. With their speech distinguishing from others, their performance was a highly anticipated speech to open up the showcase.
“Our speech originates from the fact that it’s adapted from a movie that a lot of people know about or have heard about. Many people have heard of a monologue from it, so it would be interesting from others to see our interpretation of it,” Scott said.
Continuing through their speech the importance of it starts from their dynamic and what they had brought to the showcase. With the popularity from their topic, Scott believes that it stood out due to it. Apart from the importance of their speech, their dynamic also stands out from the rest as a result of the duo’s powerful relationship.
“[Scott] and I’s dynamic is interesting because she is like my sister to me and we have a love/hate relationship. We’re unique in that we’ve competed in academic competitions together since middle school, so we are already used to working together,” Markham said.
When it comes to the debaters history with one another, it began in middle school where the two students competed in similar activities to Speech and Debate. Markham and Scott are now close friends and display strong chemistry as they stand out compared to others.
“[Scott] is very outgoing, kind and extroverted. She is one of those people that makes everyone comfortable and Mason is also extroverted, but he is less extroverted compared to the two, but they are a good dynamic because [Scott] really brings the passion and outgoingness and Mason brings the calm and central kind of power in his acting,” Molina said.
In addition, with the help of the two students being friends for many years, they are both able to encourage one another academically. Moreover, the duo is able to encourage and set goals in relation to Speech and Debate preparation. Markham further explains how the two are able to brainstorm ideas and plan future speeches.
“It is the fact that [Scott] and I have worked together for so long that we already knew how to cooperate and function effectively before coming into Speech and Debate. We’re both well rounded which helps our dynamic both in and out of debate,” Markham said.
As it is Markham and Scott’s first year on Speech and Debate, Molina was excited to reflect on what the two had accomplished together. From being in the state championship as noviests was impressive for the two to see their dynamic and their hard work that they have accomplished together.
“I have seen their progression with this speech and they have been revising, adding new characterization and they have been working really hard on this. I am proud of them for everything they have accomplished. It is their noviest year, so being in the state championship is really phenomenal for them and they have good things to look forward to,” Molina said.
However, with everything that the two have accomplished together in Speech and Debate, there have been challenges for them like switching from groups to duos. The two have had to adapt and discover what process works best for them amongst each other while still facing struggles to this day.
“Even though we’ve competed together on other academic focused teams, it was definitely different to participate in an activity that was heavily partner focused and not in groups. We learned what pushes each other’s buttons and I definitely yell at him a lot, but we are still close and I love him very much and couldn’t ask for a better partner,” Scott said.
As a result of Markham and Scott’s strengthened relationship, they are now able to determine one another’s weaknesses, specifically when it comes to tasks related to the debate team. Following up, Markham is heavily influenced by his partner Scott and her drive to debate as she encourages him to improve and attempt challenges.
“I feel like I owe it to [Scott] to put in my best effort. I see how much work and dedication she puts in and it inspires me to do the same. She is one of the few people that I know that manages to balance many activities and she is very impressive. Although I haven’t always done my best job I know that it wouldn’t be fair to her to put in anything other than 100 percent,” Markham said.
