Join the Culver City Middle School Speech Team and Culver City Education Foundation on Saturday, February 28 at the CCMS Multi-Purpose Room for a free (with suggested donation) screening of the Sundance awarded documentary SPEAK. The evening will also include student performances, concessions, and a conversation on how you can support Speech and Debate programs in our schools.
SPEAK follows five of the nation’s top teenage speech competitors, capturing the euphoria of victory and the devastation of defeat as they craft and perform original oratories over the course of a 9-month season. Their dream is simple: To win the Super Bowl of public speaking, the NSDA Nationals. We witness them, their coaches and their parents as they fight to keep school speech programs alive amid budget cuts, book bans and censorship efforts that reach a fevered pitch during the 2024 election year.
The CCMS Speech & Debate Team is a year-round afterschool program that gives students an opportunity to compete in a variety of events that are designed to engage them in communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. From Lincoln-Douglas Debate to Original Oratory and Humorous Interpretation, each student is able to find an event that they can connect with, and some students compete in several events throughout the academic year.
In weekly practices, students prepare for 15 tournaments that take place throughout this year. Speech & Debate is a demanding academic sport that challenges students to hone their talents and find their voice.
This is the second year for the CCMS Speech & Debate Team, but the team of 35 students has already accomplished so much – winning 3rd Overall Team in their final league tournament of the 2024-25 school year. This year, they plan to take a group of students to Richmond, Virginia to compete in the NSDA Nationals Tournament – the Super Bowl of forensics!
Culver City Middle School MPR: 4601 Elenda Street, Culver City
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 5:30pm
RSVP to www.ccef4schools.org/speak-screening
Contact CCEF at ccef@ccusd.org or (310) 842-4220 ext 4212 for questions.
