A group of students and I have created a speech and debate program at King High School. Most members of the organization are honors students in the International Baccalaureate program. Through student run workshops and team practices, students learn to research a case, write a speech, or prepare an interpretation of literature performance . Many students come to our team as shy freshmen looking for a community, and they soon grow intellectually, learning to express themselves and build confidence. In the past year, we had our competitors reach final rounds at the state tournaments and advance admirably at national tournaments including Harvard, Yale, and the national championship in Houston. It is said that America's #1 fear, even before death, is public speaking. We hope that our program teaches high school students the life skills they need to speak in front of an audience, or even an event as simple as a job interview. The skills we acquire from speech and debate are priceless as we learn in depth analysis of pressing global conflicts which will help many of us in our furure careers. I am the president of this organization, and my fellow officers and I hope to bring this team a more established level at our school. We are also currently attempting to help other schools, for example Robinson High School, build teams of their own. Unfortunately, our forensics team is low on funds due to our high expenses from competing on various circuits. Everyone in our group of almost 50 members has to pay for registration, travel, and supply fees on their own. While some of us have gotten jobs to pay for the expenses, a grant would provide the funding we need to expand the program to a new level.