Home to one of the nation’s most successful Debate, Forensics, and Mock Trial programs, Webster Club offers Marquette University High School students the opportunity to participate in a variety of speech activities and compete against the best and brightest that our city, state, and country have to offer.
Marquette University High School
Marquette University High School is an all-male, college-preparatory school in the Catholic and Ignatian tradition. Founded in 1857, MUHS is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association and the Jesuit Secondary Education Association. The school’s mission is to educate young men to become community leaders of intellectual excellence, sincere compassion and resolute conscience who serve God by serving others.
Our Mission
Webster Club serves an important role in the development of MUHS students by facilitating healthy social, emotional, and intellectual growth. Our mission is to provide every student with a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and build positive relationships with others through focused competition. While the most obvious benefits of participation include the development of public speaking, in-depth research and writing, and critical thinking skills, students also witness an increase in self-confidence and receive a firm foundation in ethical citizenship. Webster Club members represent MUHS at local, regional, and national competitions with integrity, respect, and conscience.
Events We Participate In
Webster Club students participate in a variety of events in Debate, Forensics, and Mock Trial. Debate events include Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum while Forensics offers competition in oratory, public speaking, and interpretation of literature.
Why “Webster” Club?
Webster Club is named for Daniel Webster, the famous American statesman, lawyer, and orator. One of the most important national Whig leaders during the mid-1800s, Webster served as a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State and is widely considered one of the greatest orators in the country’s history. Webster’s address to the City Council of Boston on May 22, 1852 provides the inspiration for our club:
If we work upon marble, it will perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface it. And if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust. But if we work upon immortal minds, if we imbue them with principles, with the just fear of God and love of our fellow men, we engrave on those tablets something which will brighten to all eternity.
Affiliations
The Webster Club is affiliated with several speech and debate organizations including the National Forensic League, the National Catholic Forensic League, the Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association, and the Wisconsin Forensic Coaches’ Association.