As Speech and Debate prepared for the competition on October 28, 2023 Ms. Nishioka reminisced on the experiences she has had being an advisor and being on Speech and Debate. 

Ms. Nishioka started Speech and Debate when she was 14 years old at her high school. She came to Hart High School in 1998 and started up Hart’s Speech and Debate Club because a student had asked her during her first week here. 

Since Speech and Debate at Hart is a club, there are fewer members. Ms. Nishioka taught 3 classes at Bakersfield High school and since all of them were Speech and Debate her team was 100 plus kids.

“We don’t have a class, [but] it was considered to be an English and a performing art credit. Now this was in 1997, but even when I was in high school, you couldn’t graduate without taking a speech class. If you didn’t take Speech and Debate in 8th or 9th grade you were put into Speech and Debate in 10th grade,” Ms. Nishioka said.

Anyone can come to Speech and Debate even if you are shy and don’t like to talk or someone has told you are really good at arguing or using your voice. 

“Teachers recommend students to me and tell them to show up. Some of my greatest successes were students who found me in their 9th grade year and showed up because they were curious. And then they stayed and I actually stayed in contact with them. Many have careers and things like that,” Ms. Nishioka said.