On April 13 and 14, Corona del Mar’s Speech and Debate team attended Southern California Spring State, held at the LAX Sheraton. The conference was hosted by the Junior State of America (JSA). JSA is a non-profit student led organization that focuses on fighting apathy, public speaking, and increasing student presence in politics. JSA is made up of numerous states throughout the country, including the SoCal state, which is the state that CdM is apart of. Spring State in one of the three state-wide conventions that JSA hosts annually, In November, JSA hosted Fall State, and in February, JSA hosted Winter Congress. Spring State begins with an opening ceremony, which involves an introduction by JSA’s cabinet, as well as speeches for candidates running for next year’s cabinet. The remainder of the conference includes various blocks. Block zero includes a assembly meeting. The JSA assembly is a group of students who represent each school in Southern California. The assembly allows the views of all the schools in SoCal to be heard and accounted for. In the remainder of the blocks, debates are held. Debates range in their topics, from politics to fiction. JSA concludes the first evening of Spring State with voting, which allows all members to be involved in the prospective cabinet, who will continue to lead JSA. In addition, there are various evening activities, including a dance and board game night.

The second day of the conference involves more debates, as well as a closing ceremony. The closing ceremony involves the results of the vote for the cabinet positions for the following year. The conference concludes with awards, which are given to best speakers for each debate that took place during the conference.

In addition to JSA, Corona del Mar’s Speech and Debate team participates in the National Speech and Debate League and Model United Nations.