Statement from Megan

This is another in a series of statements from juniors interested in being considered as officers for next year's team. If you'd like to comment, please email me at 4n6@sunspark.com. Please do not leave any negative comments on the blog.

Hi! I’m Megan Pratt, and am writing this to address the issue of the captain/co-captains for next year. I have been a member of the team for two years, and I’ve really enjoyed it. I think that Forensics is a great way to meet people and really establish bonds between all of the grades. I felt noticeably absent because of several conflicting activities this year, and wish I had been able to have the high level of involvement I was able to achieve my sophomore year. Realizing this, I e-mailed Mrs. Topham a couple of weeks ago to find out more about Novice Coordinator, as it was a role I remembered from my sophomore year that had sounded very interesting. She got back to me, and told me that this had been rolled into the position of co-captain. Because of this, I am interested in being considered for a position of co-captain next year.

As co-captain, I would be willing to work with the captain(s) and other co-captains to come up with a standardized system that could be followed through by the successors. I feel that many previous problems were solved this year. For example, attendance became a much more important issue than it had been my sophomore year, and I think that those policies should remain enforced. However, I still feel like many freshmen and sophomores find it easy to “slip through the cracks” and struggle to find an event/piece that they really excel at until their junior or senior year. Having experienced this myself, I would work very hard to help underclassmen figure out what they want out of Forensics and would help them achieve their goal. Since Mrs. Topham, Mrs. Eccleston, Mr. Ferges, and Mr. Pulio, and the captains are trying to address everyone’s needs, I think it is important that we have one of the co-captains dedicated solely to Novices. Having a narrower range of duties for each captain/co-captain would provide more individual attention and be much less hectic. I think that using the database of pieces more often would also help with the ever-important issue of “finding a piece.”

I also feel that I could make a great contribution to the role of co-captain because of my organizational skills. Many of you who know me can attest to the fact that I can be a bit “OCD” at times, and feel that this could actually be a positive contribution! I would work meticulously to keep track of practice and tournament attendance, and would make sure that all of those who placed would be recognized, as we did this year. I think that a balance of personalities amongst the captains and co-captains would be very important.

Most of all, I think that Forensics should be a place to have fun. Although sometimes getting up early in the morning for tournaments is rough, I have truly had a wonderful two years being a member on this team. I feel like I have met some really great people on the team, and know that whoever follows in the footsteps of this year's captain and co-captains will find it challenging, as they did such an amazing job organizing the group and making us into a “team.” I hope that next year’s team is just as supportive as this year’s, and that the “competition” aspect of Forensics remains between the schools. I think that with the right combination of people and ideas, we can work together to create a team that is both fun and efficient, and remains a favorite high school memory for many. Thank you so much!