Read Testimonies from students who participated in the NFL program.

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God. 

At the start of each new Congress, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate take this oath of office.  The same oath is administered each year to more than 400 high school students from across the country at the beginning of the annual Student Congress competition. 

Since 1991, the Stennis Center has sponsored the John C. Stennis National Student Congress as part of the National Forensic League’s (NFL) National Speech Tournament.  The country’s top high school debaters assemble every June to compete for the honor of the nation’s best.  

The Stennis Center supports Student Congress as leadership training for public service.  Rex Buffington, executive director of the Stennis Center, told the participants, “This program is a fertile training ground for talented individuals who want to use their leadership abilities to help make our communities, states, nation and world better.” 

The year 2003 marked a milestone in the competition with the retirement of Iowa debate coach Harold Keller, affectionately known as “Mr. Congress.” As the National Clerk of the Congress since 1978, Keller has played a major role in planning and implementing Student Congress for 25 years.  He prints and distributes legislation, organizes the chambers, supervises judging and scoring, and records and checks the results. 

Billy Tate, the NFL national president, said, “No person has done more to promote and improve NFL Stennis Student Congress as an event that Harold Keller.”  James Copeland, the NFL national secretary, stated, “Harold is directly responsible for the expansion of Congress to 16 Chambers, the semifinals, the National Student Congress Rule Book, the format to select champions and the upgrading of Congress awards.” 

This event impacts not only the hundreds who attend the national tournament, but the thousands of students nationwide who compete for the right to attend nationals.  And its legacy is lasting.  Marc Adler, who recently completed a term as student body president at the University of Florida, said, “Student Congress taught me that in order to make progress you need to learn to respect and appreciate other people’s points of view.”  He added, “It also taught me how to be a citizen and that it is my business as a citizen to know about the government that guides my country.”

This competition has carried the work of the Stennis Center nationwide. Sites for the Stennis Student Congress have included Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. The 2007 competition was in Wichita, Kansas, and the 2008 tournament will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For Senator John C. Stennis National Student Congress information, go to www.nflonline.org.

Skills Taught Through Student Congress Training by Kathi Wells published in the January 2008, Volume 82, Issue 5 Rostrum.

John C. Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament
September 7-8, 2007
Mississippi State University
Recognizing the value of high school debate in preparing tomorrow’s leaders, the Stennis Center in 1995 initiated the John C. Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament at Mississippi State University. The unique feature of the competition is that it is open only to high school students who are less experienced in speech and debate. "With a level playing field, the participants are able to build confidence and hone their speaking skills before competing against more experienced students," said tournament organizer Dr. Randy Patterson, speech and debate coach at St. Andrew's Episcopal  School in Ridgeland, Mississippi. The 2007 tournament will be held on  September 7-8 and will feature students from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.  Call the Stennis Center at (662) 325-8409 or go to www.joyoftournaments.com.