Brother Anthony K. Cavet on Speech and Debate
As CM’s speech and debate head coach, Brother Anthony K. Cavet sees the profound impact that his team leaves on every one of its members—even on those who contribute less than others. Read his witness story below and understand how, in the spirit of Brother Edmund Rice, the speech and debate program molds the mind, and heart, of a boy into a man. Your gift to CM on Founder’s Day keeps this mission alive and well.
Brother Anthony K. Cavet recognized the name on the email. It surprised him, to say the least. Looking back on all the former CM speech and debate team members who trekked over to Donohue Hall over the last 30 years, Brother Cavet remembers this one encounter with an alumnus in particular. His message arrived out of the blue, and out of sight.
“I got an email ten years ago,” says Brother Cavet.
“It was from an alumnus. He wanted to let me know that if it hadn’t been for his time in speech and debate, then he wouldn’t be able to get up and speak so confidently today in the business world.”
The alumnus belonged to a class of the late 1980s and, from what Brother Cavet remembered, had left the speech and debate team after his junior year. Not a “super star” on the speech and debate team by any means, the alumnus performed well enough to leave his impression in the back of Brother Cavet’s mind.
On that email, the alumnus filled in Brother Cavet on his life. He lived out west and worked in business. His job required him to provide workshops for his company. This meant standing up in front of packed audiences, with little to no preparation, and conveying a message with poise and confidence.
Further down his email, the alumnus shared a few video clips of his workshops. He told Brother Cavet to watch them afterwards. When Brother Cavet hit “play,” he hardly recognized his former student in the frame. The alumnus no longer resembled the junior who left the speech and debate team. Instead, Brother Cavet watched a man—standing tall and with authority—command the attention of the room with every word.
“He affirmed what we as educators already know,” says Brother Cavet.
“What we’re doing after school has a very profound impact and connection on real life working experiences.”
Brother Cavet believes that his speech and debate program allows students to assert their own independence. With this independence, the student recognizes a responsibility, not just to themselves, but to their fellow teammates. So, if someone in the crowd uses body language to distract a performer, the student knows better than to react. A reaction runs the risk of ruining their own performance and the overall score of the team.
“It gives people the autonomy to solve their own problems,” says Brother Cavet, with a smile at the thought of past performances gone awry.
“Composure, poise, and class is a life skill. Every mistake shouldn’t cause a panic and not everything is the end of the world. When they’re confronted with something unexpected during a performance, they need to keep their composure at all times.”
Back
Brother Anthony K. Cavet recognized the name on the email. It surprised him, to say the least. Looking back on all the former CM speech and debate team members who trekked over to Donohue Hall over the last 30 years, Brother Cavet remembers this one encounter with an alumnus in particular. His message arrived out of the blue, and out of sight.
“I got an email ten years ago,” says Brother Cavet.
“It was from an alumnus. He wanted to let me know that if it hadn’t been for his time in speech and debate, then he wouldn’t be able to get up and speak so confidently today in the business world.”
The alumnus belonged to a class of the late 1980s and, from what Brother Cavet remembered, had left the speech and debate team after his junior year. Not a “super star” on the speech and debate team by any means, the alumnus performed well enough to leave his impression in the back of Brother Cavet’s mind.
On that email, the alumnus filled in Brother Cavet on his life. He lived out west and worked in business. His job required him to provide workshops for his company. This meant standing up in front of packed audiences, with little to no preparation, and conveying a message with poise and confidence.
Further down his email, the alumnus shared a few video clips of his workshops. He told Brother Cavet to watch them afterwards. When Brother Cavet hit “play,” he hardly recognized his former student in the frame. The alumnus no longer resembled the junior who left the speech and debate team. Instead, Brother Cavet watched a man—standing tall and with authority—command the attention of the room with every word.
“He affirmed what we as educators already know,” says Brother Cavet.
“What we’re doing after school has a very profound impact and connection on real life working experiences.”
Brother Cavet believes that his speech and debate program allows students to assert their own independence. With this independence, the student recognizes a responsibility, not just to themselves, but to their fellow teammates. So, if someone in the crowd uses body language to distract a performer, the student knows better than to react. A reaction runs the risk of ruining their own performance and the overall score of the team.
“It gives people the autonomy to solve their own problems,” says Brother Cavet, with a smile at the thought of past performances gone awry.
“Composure, poise, and class is a life skill. Every mistake shouldn’t cause a panic and not everything is the end of the world. When they’re confronted with something unexpected during a performance, they need to keep their composure at all times.”
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Catholic Memorial, the Christian Brothers School of Boston, prepares boys for college, manhood and a world full of unknown challenges, ambiguity and complex problems and the importance of relationships.
