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August 1, 2026
Welcome back to the 2026–2027 season! To confirm your continued participation in PASD and renew your eligibility, please complete the Required Annual Membership Form as soon as possible. Driven by incredible student participation—including both a prolific last season of competition and our biggest-ever weeks of Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp—our program begins this season ranked 17th nationally out of 3,000+ high schools. This reflects our 'All of The Above Excellence' philosophy which emphasizes much more than just competition. I promise to continue to prioritize student well-being, and I hope our program will continue to lead by example. Inclusive excellence is compatible with supportive culture, and high expectations can co-exist with overall well-being. In fact, in Paly Speech & Debate, we view competitive success, accessibility & inclusivity, and well-being as interdependent. Our coaching staff continues to grow, with three alumni joining us: Elsa Lagerblad '26, Joseph Sun '26, and Motoko Iwata '26. Additionally, Dominic Zappia joins us to lead Public Forum and Jillian Gilburne will head Platform Speech. Two of our former coaches, YuYu Yuan and Jon Joey "JJ" Telebrico, are also now Head Coaches of their own respective programs, with JJ most recently taking the helm at Leland High School.
Program Leadership Kyle Hietala returns for his fifth year as the Program Director and Head Coach of Palo Alto High School Speech & Debate, as well as Executive Director of Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp. Erin Ritchie returns for her third year as Assistant Program Director. In her role, Erin will apply her skills as a trained classroom teacher to lead our incoming novice cohort, and strengthen curriculum and instruction across the program. Max Renteria, Head Coach of Parliamentary Debate, steps up as our second Assistant Program Director to support our debate events and our novice cohort. Anika Deshpande ‘27 also steps up as our new Student Deputy Director. Stephanie Bradley joins us as our Parent Director & Boosters Board President, and our Boosters Board also includes David Liu, Jennifer Glos, Anand Shah, and Kurt Berney. Carmen Wiedenhoeft will also support parent leadership, with Jen Chu organizing family dinners. Novice Program Beginning in late August, novices will be recruited to join a structured cohort, which will practice separately from our six squads for the beginning of the season. Novices will progress through a series of practices into late September co-taught by Kyle, Erin, Max and varsity student leaders. As part of this cohort program, each squad’s captains & coaches will have the opportunity to support practices, and then host an in-person Novice Night to conclude the cohort. Novices will go through a matchmaking process to graduate from their cohort and join squads based on their goals and interests. Any student interested in joining should complete the interest form at www.palysd.com/join. Tournament Participation We expect all students (except first-semester novices) to attend at least 1 local CFL tournament and 1 regional or online invitational each semester to be considered members in good standing. Students self-register for tournaments and arrange their own judging coverage. Our calendar is already filled with 20+ tournament opportunities for the upcoming season. Room 408 The portables have been moved (lots of bike parking!), but we have a new home-base shared with Social Justice Pathway in room #408! This room is open for students after lunch on Mondays & Tuesdays, and is filled with activities, games, supplies and other resources for students to enjoy. Summer Camp The Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp will be student-led once again in 2027, with Dashel Chun ‘28 and Linda Liu ‘28 serving as Co-Directors. PASDC is scheduled for June 7-11 & June 21-25, 2027, with the NSDA National Tournament the week in between. Accessibility My primary focus as Program Director will always be the well-being of our students and their academic, civic, and interpersonal growth. As a public school program, we strive to welcome all students who are committed to being kind, respectful contributors to a community which values intellectual inquiry and competitive integrity. There are no tryouts and there is no application to participate, and students will never be cut from the program due to a lack of academic skill or a deficit of knowledge. Students who require accommodations, modifications, or other forms of extra support for behavioral, developmental, educational, financial, medical, physical or other reasons should meet with me to discuss their individual situation. Accountability Our program’s ability to make meaningful investments in students—through coaching, resources, and opportunities—is made possible by being a high-functioning, high-performing organization with a strong, collaborative culture. In turn, we ask a lot from everyone involved: our students, their families, our coaching staff, and our schools. Our expectations and policies are outlined in our Membership Guide (our version of a team handbook). Students who remain in good standing are eligible to receive coaching, attend all local and regional tournaments free of charge, and access a range of leadership opportunities, including serving as Team Officers or Captains, directing summer camp, and leading special projects. |
