February 2026 Newsletter
I hope you're all staying warm this winter. February may be the shortest month but there's a lot to celebrate on our team and so much excitement planned for the spring. We have some fun events for the whole family this month and I hope to see you there!
First, our January Student Success Spotlights!
Churchill:
Lucie and Lauchly advanced to the semifinals of domestic extemp at Churchill! Zoe advanced to finals and placed 4th, earning our team's first TOC bid for the season!
McNeil:
McNeil was our last in-person local for the TFA season open to the whole team and we took a big squad!
Speech results:
Rebecca and Emmy, congress finalists
Omar and Rebecca, extemp semifinalists
Lizzy, 5th place informative speaking
Debate results:
Jane and Camille, novice public forum debate quarterfinals
Tessa, Maddie, and Hazel, world schools debate finalists
O'Connor/Brandeis Swing:
Last weekend, we had a 17-hour day in San Antonio and it was well worth it!
Will, 5th place in Panther Congress
Emmy, 2nd place in Bronco Congress
Ellie and Vivi, 4th place in Panther duet
Ellie and Vivi, 5th place in Bronco duet
Ellie, 2nd place in Bronco oratory
Talia and Alexis, 5th place in Bronco duo
Alexis, 3rd place in Panther Humorous Interp
Lauchly, 4th place in Panther extemp
CJ, 4th place in Bronco extemp
Omar, 5th place in Bronco extemp
Emmy and Alexis both earned their state qualifications this weekend!
And almost everyone earned state points in their event!
Follow our team on Instagram to see photos of our amazing team and celebrate about our victories!
@ andersonspeechdebate
VOLUNTEER ASK!
Booster club treasurer position opening soon!
The daughter of our amazing treasurer, Mina Kumar, is graduating this year, so Mina will be leaving her position as treasurer. We have learned that the transition to a new treasurer is so much easier if the new person joins this semester to learn the ropes!
If you have any questions about this position, you can contact me (el.contreras@austinisd.org) or Mina (mina@andersonspeechdebate.org) to ask!
February Events Schedule
Virtual Austin High Tournament - February 7th - Varsity only!
Sign-up is closed but if any student wants to be added last-minute, they can reach out to Coach!
Fundraiser!! Trivia Night - February 10th - open to everyone!
Please come support our team and play trivia at La Mancha on Tuesday, 2/10! Tickets are $30 and cost includes dinner.
The flyer is located below!
RSVP here: https://forms.gle/GWWMDvRdiaXG84Pw6
Buy tickets/read more here:
https://www.andersonspeechdebate.org/trivia-night
Travel: Harvard University Tournament - February 13th - 17th
Virtual LASA/Salado Swing TFA - February 13th - 14th
Just added, this is basically two 1-Day tournaments back to back. Interested varsity members should reach out to me!
Virtual Hebron/The Colony TFA - February 20th - 21st
Just added!! Interested varsity members should reach out to me!
Limited Entry: NSDA National Qualifier/District Tournament - February 27 - 28th
Students must have 25+ NSDA Merit Points to participate. The top-placing students (highest 2-4 in each event) automatically advance to Nationals in June. Students are still welcome to compete even if they are not interested in attending Nationals! Sign-ups are due on Friday, February 20th.
Fundraising!
We're launching our GiveButter fundraiser this month! Every student, novice and varsity alike, will be expected to participate in fundraising.
GiveButter is a fundraising platform where students can create their own profile, upload a picture, and write a story about their speech and debate experience! Each student's goal will be $300. We'll also be having a competition between varsity debate, varsity speech, and the 5th and 7th period novice classes to see which group can raise the most donations!
Alternatives to GiveButter
I know that some families are uncomfortable or unable to ask families and friends for donations, we'll have a few alternatives for students to help contribute to fundraising!
Raffle Prize donation asks
Students can stay after school next week and go on their own or with varsity team members to small businesses near Anderson to ask for items to be donated for Trivia Night! In May, we'll have another event called Showcase, which we will also need Raffle Prize donations for! Students will be given a letter from the booster club that signifies our non-profit status and a script to use to ask for donations.
Corporate Sponsorship asks
Students can stay after school in February, March, or April to participate in corporate sponsorship asks! Students will be given an email template as well to send out to businesses to ask for financial donations.
February After School Practice Schedule
After school practice is held in my classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday, from 4:35 - 5:40 pm, unless otherwise indicated.
Keep an eye on Blend and our Google Calendar (linked here) to see the dates for after-school workshops aimed at building our novices and 2nd year debaters skills!
Practice Dates:
Tuesday, 2/3
Wednesday, 2/4
Wednesday, 2/11
Tuesday, 2/24
Wednesday, 2/25
(no practice the week of 2/16)
Tournament Requirement Update
For students who have not hit their 3 (novice) or 5 (varsity) tournament requirement this year, there are a few ways they can make that up!
1. UIL Academic District - Saturday, March 29th
Students can compete in UIL Academics at McCallum High School! They can compete by taking tests in a subject area. This will count for a tournament requirement but also makes a cool line for their college applications and resumes!
2. After-School Workshops!
We are going to roll these out after we return from Harvard. Once a week, we'll have a workshop after school in the debate room for all team members to take part in drills, strengthen skills, or participate in an activity!
3 workshops = 1 tournament entry for novices
2 workshops = 1 tournament entry for varsity members
3. Novice Only: Supplemental Assignments
Novices who did not meet their tournament requirement in the fall should complete supplemental assignments to fulfill this requirement.
I really hope to see all of you at Trivia Night next week! It has been such a fun team bonding event that brings us together in the spirit of competition.
Peace, love, and debate
Coach El
el.contreras@austinisd.org