If you ever want to talk to someone about dedication, Regis Jesuit High School’s Speech and Debate teacher Mark Onstott is definitely a good place to start. He has been part of a Speech and Debate program, as a student and a mentor, for almost 50 years in Colorado schools.

He began his career in Speech and Debate as a student under his mentor, Stan Dunlap, and then continued with it through college. He started his teaching and speech and debate career at Smoky Hill High School, then moved to Eagle Crest a few years later to start a program there. After a couple years off of teaching, he was hired at Regis to start a speech and debate program, and has remained here for the past 10 years. Since then, the team has won multiple state championships, most recently last years competition where he was given the Lifetime Achievement award from CHSAA.

Mr. Onstott was given the Lifetime award at the state speech tournament, in front of all his students and his wife. The award represents the longevity and dedication throughout his career, from his time on a Speech and Debate team as a freshman in high school through his senior year in college, as well as the multiple programs he started at other schools, and finally in the last few years of his career here at Regis.

Rachel Oaks, a student at the Regis Jesuit and member of the speech and debate team, said, “Mr. Onstott is an amazing amazing leader. I think this is mostly due to his deep love for his students. His first priority as a coach is the growth of his students. He is willing to work with kids and is dedicated whole-heartedly to them.”

It may be hard to imagine staying with one profession for so much time, but  Mr. Onstott focuses less on doing it as job, but rather focuses the skill set that he is teaching the students, and using them to teach himself as well.

“I think its important to be able to get up, be in front of an audience, be comfortable, be organized. I think on the debate end, teaching kids organization, analysis, and logic is very important. The vast majority of people don’t like to get up in front of an audience.”

One of his current students, a co-captain of the Speech and Debate team, Reid Holben tells me, “He is completely dedicated to Speech and Debate and will help anybody that is even remotely interested. Having done Speech for 45-odd years, he knows every event inside and out and can help anybody with anything they need.” Without Mr. Onstott, our speech team wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today.

If you are a student who is interested in the speech and debate team at Regis, see the team page on the Regis Jesuit website.