Speech & Debate
The La Salle Forum is the Speech and Debate or "Forensics" team at La Salle College High School. This page has been created as a resource for members, coaches, alumni, parents, and friends of the team.
In the last 10 years, the team has been recognized with eight (8) Debate School of Excellence Awards - twice by the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) in 2009 and 2014 and four times by the National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2009, and 2008. The La Salle Forum won the Philadelphia Catholic Forensics League (PCFL) Overall Speech and Debate School Championship most recently in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2007 as well as the PCFL Overall Debate School Championship for the last 13 consecutive years (2003-2015).
La Salle College High School has a long and storied history of speech and debate activities. The current team, nicknamed "The La Salle Forum", was granted a School Charter in 1979 by the National Forensics League -- the national high school speech and debate honors society. Since then, the team has had six (6) National Champions, thirty (30) State Champions, seventy-three (73) City Champions and numerous other national, state, and local awardees.
- Team Awards and Honors
- NSDA National Champions and Awardees
- NCFL National Champions and Awardees
- PHSSL State Champions and Awardees
- NSDA All-Americans
- NSDA National Qualifiers and Valley Forge District Champions
- PCFL City Champions
Team Awards and Honors
NSDA National Champions and Awardees
NCFL National Champions and Awardees
PHSSL State Champions and Awardees
NSDA All-Americans
NSDA National Qualifiers and Valley Forge District Champions
PCFL City Champions
The Brother Kevin M. Dalmasse, FSC Forum Fund provides funds to support the Speech and Debate Team at La Salle College High School and supplement the team’s budget.
These funds are primarily intended to help offset costs for students who travel to national speech and debate tournaments, especially the National Catholic Forensics League Finals and the National Speech & Debate Association Finals. The fund also provides additional financial assistance for costs to students on the Speech and Debate Team demonstrating need.
The purpose of the fund is not to replace the funds provided by La Salle, but to supplement these funds. La Salle anticipates that it will continue to fund the Speech and Debate team at a level consistent with its current funding and to increase this funding over time in proportion with other extra-curricular activities, provided that student interest remains consistent.
To learn more about The Brother Kevin M. Dalmasse, FSC Forum Fund, please contact: Jon Allison, Major Gifts Officer, by phone (215-402-4813) or by email.
Recent News
The team will travel to George Mason University on November 29th – December 2nd for the annual Patriot Games Classic Invitational before hosting the La Salle Forum Invitational on December 8th.
Patrick Kelly'18 placed 2nd in the Country in Informative Speaking, the highest a La Salle student has finished at NSDA Nationals since 1994
The Explorers will be heading to Fort Lauderdale in June for the National Speech and Debate National Tournament.
The team turns its attention to the Philadelphia Catholic Forensics League Finals on March 3rd, where the top six entries in each event earn a spot at the National Catholic Forensics League Tournament in Washington, D.C.
This was the first time a La Salle student has made the final round at the Barkley Forum since January 2007.
It's the 1st time La Salle Forum has received this honor from the National Speech and Debate Association in 11 years.
This prestigious speech and debate tournament brought over 280 schools and 2,000 students from over 35 states together for three days of competition.
Over the weekend of September 23rd, three policy debate teams traveled to the Georgetown Day School for the Georgetown Day Hopper Classic.
The team will now turn its attention to its final three championships – the Tournament of Champions hosted by the University of Kentucky, N.C.F.L. Grand Nationals, and the N.S.D.A. National Championship.
The Valley Forge National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) District Tournament will take place at La Salle March 25 & 26.
Over a dozen alumni of La Salle's Speech & Debate Program returned to campus on January 4 to help coach current team members at practice.
35 schools and over 360 students competed in 11 events on Saturday, December 10th on campus.
The team hosts the La Salle Forum Invitational on December 10th, in which approximately 500 competitors, coaches, and judges will be on campus at La Salle.
Mr. O'Toole was presented with the award at the 2016 NSDA National Finals in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ten students from La Salle College High School competed at the 2016 National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) National Finals with over 2,460 students from 518 schools and 67 diocesan leagues.
Shawn Robinson '16, Frederick Blunt, '16, David Grabowski '16, Nicholas Petaccio '16, Evan Dugery '16, Domenico Mazzeo '16, Benjamin Fedgechin '17, William Oxenford '17, Patrick Kelly '18, and John Santoro '18 qualified for the NCFL Finals in Sacramento, CA over Memorial Day Weekend.
The tournament featured competition between 627 students representing 62 schools and 9 states from Massachusetts to Florida.
John Curran '15, Nick Petaccio '16, Eric Kindelan '15, and Matt Coughlin '15 advanced to the Top 32 in their events as well.
Read more
about Seniors Hogan and Grogan Place 3rd in Policy Debate at National Catholic Finals; La Salle Wins School of Excellence Award
The reunion also launched the Brother Kevin M. Dalmasse, FSC Forum Fund.
Read more
about Forum Reunion
The 2015 NDCA National Championship was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and drew more than 400 students representing approximately 100 high schools across 26 states.
Read more
about Conor Hogan '15 and Jack Grogan '15 Place 3rd in Policy Debate at NDCA National Championship
NSDA National Debate School of Excellence
2014 & 2009
NSDA National Top 14
11 Students Since 2004
NSDA Academic All-Americans
6 All-America Students in 2013-14
2 All-American Students in 2012-13
NSDA Valley Forge District Sweepstakes
Top Overall Speech & Debate School in 2015, 2014 & 2009
Top Debate School in 2015, 2014 & 2013
NCFL National Debate School of Excellence2015, 2014, 2013, 2009, & 2008
NCFL National Champions
2010 - Policy Debate
NCFL National Top 10
17 Students Since 2004
PCFL Overall Speech & Debate Team Champions
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, & 2007
PCFL Overall Debate Team Champions
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, & 2007
PCFL City Champions
29 Students Since 2004
PHSSL State Champions
12 State Champion Students Since 2004
(17 Runner-Up Students Since 2004)
PHSSL State Top 10
61 Students Since 2004
PHSSL State District #11 Overall School Seepstakes
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010,
2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, & 2005