With a majority of the team graduating and an overall lack of support and participation, the speech team is facing a difficult road ahead, according to adviser Jean Scheaffer.

Scheaffer said that there are currently only five members on the team, with three of them graduating this year.

“The team never got momentum,” Scheaffer said. “I was not as involved as was needed. I feel remiss about it. It takes a lot of organization and time.”

Scheaffer said that the current seniors on the team had a strong year as freshmen, but without a true sense of leadership the team suffered.

The team attempted to join meets throughout the year, but had to withdraw due to conflicts much more often because of the small size of the team. speech also faces difficulties with the new administration policies on clubs, as it does not meet the minimum member requirements to be an official club.

Freshman Nina Afremov said she had just joined speech this year, and was disappointed that the team couldn’t come together. She said speech is a great activity, and she hopes she can continue the team next year.

“It’s a creative and different way of performing and anyone can find a speech category they enjoy,” Afremov said. “If I have the time next year, I would love to make it work.”

The team also requires students to invest a large amount of time, which Scheaffer said even the most involved members of speech simply do not have.

Senior Caitlin Glennon is one of these members, and she said she is disappointed with the state of speech.

“One of the biggest problems is people’s aversion to coming or being interested in the first place, because of the word ‘speech,’” Glennon said. “It scares everyone off, even though they have no reason to be intimidated.”

Glennon said the greatest number of people who participated in speech in recent time was twelve, and the club will most likely face dissolution because of the current numbers.

Generating interest in the first place was the the primary factor that was absent for speech, according to Glennon.

Glennon said she hopes that speech will continue in some form at the school.

“It will probably become something that is done on a smaller scale for fun, maybe not associated with the school,” Glennon said. “But it’s questionable whether or not it will continue in any form next year.”

Scheaffer said she thinks that if people had seen what speech really is, they may have been more interested.

“When you’re involved in it, you see how fun it is,” Scheaffer said. “You have eight minutes where you’re able to express yourself in front of people, where you can impact them.”