BJA students in the middle and high school have many opportunities to develop and practice their speaking and acting skills. Classes in performing arts, public speaking and debate are offered as part of the high school curriculum.
In addition, students can audition for stage productions and can also compete against other schools in categories such as interpretation, mock trial and debate.
Drama
Drama can be a fun and memorable part of the middle and high school experience, helping students to build confidence in speaking and teaching them to work as a team.
Dramatic productions also give interested students a chance to work behind the scenes as stage crew, running the lights, curtains and more.
Competitive Speech
High school students have the opportunity to participate in speech and debate through an interscholastic team, competing in debate, public speaking, and interpretation events. The competitive speech experience teaches students to think carefully, respond intelligently to opposing viewpoints and to communicate what they believe.
Members of the Academy team may join a national honor society, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), enabling them to gain national recognition in their speech accomplishments.
The team competes in about 15 tournaments during the year including the South Carolina State tournament and the NSDA District and National tournaments. Highlights include:
- 2007-23: 1A State Champions
- 2021: National Speech and Debate Association Leading Chapter
- Over 100 NSDA national qualifiers and 9 national finalists
- National Champions: Extemporaneous Commentary (2003) and Storytelling (2004)
Middle and high school students may also participate on Mock Trial teams, which compete on the regional and state levels. Highlights include
- 2022: middle school team took second place in South Carolina
- 2023: high school team took the South Carolina state championship, was twelfth in the nation, and had an attorney that was in the top 10 in the nation; back in 2004, BJA’s team were national campions!