The GWHS Speech and Debate team has a tradition of excellence and ethical, responsible, and honorable behavior.
As team members you will carry on this tradition. We conduct ourselves with class and integrity at all times.


                                BEHAVIOR:
"People with class handle victory and defeat in the same way: graciously, with their heads held high. They do not brag in victory, or make excuses in defeat.”

  •  Irresponsible, dangerous, or illegal behavior, including possession of (sale of or distribution of) alcohol and/or drugs, will mean immediate expulsion from the tournament and possibly from the team. Such issues will be turned over to GWHS administration. If a member of the team is discovered to have participated in any of these activities they will be removed from their event and a parent/guardian will be notified to come to pick up their student immediately. If this occurs at a Travel tournament, the student’s family will be responsible for all expenses relating to sending the student home early. No refunds will be provided.
  • Poor student conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Students are expected to act respectfully toward all team members, coaches, and chaperones. Additionally, students must be responsible for their whereabouts at tournaments; this means, being accessible by cell phone when not in rounds, and informing coaches when leaving the tournament site.
  • Be punctual for the bus and follow appropriate bus behavior. Being punctual at all departure times includes return trips from offsite tournament locations.
  • DO NOT leave the tournament site without the permission of the coach on-site. 
  • Respect the property of the host school.
  • Show the utmost courtesy to all coaches, judges, and fellow competitors. DO NOT make any comments about these individuals in public areas; go outside to a private place to vent and be aware of your surroundings OR find a coach to discuss problems in a constructive manner.
  • Beware of social networking sites and the internet and the potential for “the whole world” to see your posts. Disparaging remarks reflect on the entire team and will not be tolerated. What you think is private, but might not be and once it is posted, you cannot take it back.
  • Eye rolling, laughing, putting your head down, or doing homework during rounds is not acceptable. You should be a respectful audience member and participant in the round.
  • As a member of the GW team you are agreeing to act in an ethical manner at all times. This includes in the preparation of your events. We will not tolerate attempts to circumvent the rules in order to win. This includes adhering to the NSDA evidences rules for debate. 
  • In debate, GW competitors who wish to share evidence with opposing schools during a tournament need to wait until all GW debaters in that event have been eliminated.​

Dress Code

  1. No denim or denim styled pants.
  2. No Lycra or spandex.
  3. Pants should preferably be tan, black, navy, or grey.
  4. Avoid wearing low cut shirts.
  5. If slacks have belt loops, a belt should be worn. Belts should match the shoe color if possible.
  6. Skirts should be longer than finger tip length.
  7. Midriffs should not be showing.
  8. All accessories should be professional. They should not be distracting or flashy. They should also not swing around while you are speaking.
  9. Hair should be out of face, including bangs. You should never need to push your hair out of your face while speaking.
  10. Heels should be no higher than 3 inches.
  11. No tennis shoes, flip flops or slippers while speaking.​
  12. ​Ties should be worn with long sleeved dress shirts; the type designed to be worn with a tie.
  13. Use good hygiene and grooming habits
  14. Do not wear white, athletic socks; they should be dark, dress socks.

GWSD appreciates that the nature of these requests can cause some students to feel like there is an expectation  to spend money in order to compete. To meet this need we have a competition closet full of great options for students to borrow. If there is not an item in your size in our closet, and you are unable to provide one from home, please reach out to a coach and we will provide one for you.