Debating and Public Speaking

Roxbury Latin boys compete both in traditional debate formats — Oregon, Parliamentary, and Lincoln-Douglas — and in a wide range of public speaking events, including persuasive, after-dinner, impromptu, and extemporaneous speaking, interpretive reading, dramatic interpretation, and declamation. (Declamations are the dramatic public recitation of memorized Greek and Latin passages.)

All debaters and public speakers attend weekly classes in public-speaking skills and forensic theory and compete in interscholastic regional and international competitions.

The Debating Association of New England Independent Schools, founded at Roxbury Latin in 1978, now includes 64 members and affiliated schools in the United States and Canada. Canadian and overseas tournaments are coordinated by the International Independent Schools Public Speaking League (IISPSL), of which Roxbury Latin is a charter member.

In each of the past 15 years, at least one Roxbury Latin boy has qualified for the World Public Speaking Competition, hosted by schools in South Africa, Cyprus, Germany, England, the United States, and Canada.

In 2006–07, boys in Classes I-IV competed in an intramural debating tournament and entered 15 tournaments in New England and Canada, winning many team and individual awards.

Debaters and public speakers attend classes in public-speaking skills and forensic theory and compete in interscholastic competitions.

Declamations are presented annually on Exelauno Day, and boys compete before the entire School for the David Taggart Clark Prizes in Greek, and upper and lower school Latin.