Public Speaking Session
2010 Faculty

Chris Agee

Chris Agee returns for his sixth year as a lab leader with us as one of the most beloved and highly evaluated instructors on staff. He is selected to return year after year because of his proven reputation as a skilled and highly regarded teacher. His students know his simply as "Agee." While attending the University of North Texas, where he received his bachelor's degree and teaching certification, Agee qualified three times for the National Debate Tournament. He has spent nearly 25 years debating, judging, and coaching policy debate in the North Texas area. As the Director of Debate at Newman Smith High School for the past 13 years, Mr. Agee has coached students to both the NFL National and TFA State tournaments in policy debate, extemp, impromptu, congressional debate, and public forum debate. Mr. Agee earned his NFL Diamond award in 2006. He is adept at simplifying difficult concepts in debate while maintaining a challenging, fun, and energetic environment for young speakers.

Christine Halbert

Christine Halbert graduated from Southlake Carroll in 2006 after completing one of the most successful and well-rounded careers of recent area graduates. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in December 2009 with a B.A. in English and minors in Anthropology and Medieval Studies. She is currently in graduate school at Duke University. For the last several years she was an assistant debate coach at Greenhill School.

Christine competed in Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Original Oratory and Policy Debate, and she is one of the most decorated speakers in the nation. She qualified for 3 NFL Nationals, where she advanced to late elimination rounds each year and across 3 events, winning 7th in United States Extemp and advancing to semifinals in International Extemp. She qualified for TFA State 3 consecutive years and across 5 events, advancing to the semifinals of Original Oratory her junior and senior years and the finals all three years in Extemp, placing 6th in 2004, 2nd in 2005, and 1st in 2006.

Ms. Halbert's success spanned across many of the nation's finest tournaments, including winning the Grapevine Classic in United States Extemp in 2004, placing 2nd in International Extemp at St. Marks in 2005, and placing 7th in Original Oratory at Harvard in 2006. In 2006, she was selected as an National Forensic League All-American.

Samuel Scott

Samuel graduated from Plano Senior High after 7 years of participating in speech and debate.  He has placed at the St. Marks, Grapevine, Glenbrooks, and Harvard national tournaments, qualified for NFL nationals three times, reached quarterfinals of UIL State in CX, and is the reigning 2010 TFA State champion in Congressional Debate.  Sam has also enjoyed great success on the local level, amassing 104 TFA qualifying points across 4 events just this past year. During his high school career, Sam competed and won tournaments in CX, OO, DX, FX, and Congress, and advanced out of outrounds in PFD and LD.