Provided by Kelly Rasmussen

Sara Nichols continues her teaching career here at EMHS.

Politics and government play a crucial role in people’s day-to-day lives; therefore, it is important that schools teach the fundamentals of both. Here at Edmond Memorial High School, Sara Nichols has stepped up to the plate to teach AP United States Government and Politics and coach the EMHS debate team.

Nichols first began teaching at EMHS mid-semester during the 2022-2023 school year after graduating from college in the fall of 2022. Nichols experienced all the challenges of being a first-year teacher while also taking on the additional challenge of taking over classes mid-year. Additionally, her first year teaching was also the first time she experienced the world of debate.” 

“I had no experience when I graduated from college in December of 2022, and as soon as I took the job, I basically jumped into the speech and debate world,” Nichols said. “It was a big learning curve for me.”

Taking over such an involved program is not an easy task, especially as a new teacher. Teaching an AP class, which has college-level material embedded in the course, alongside coaching debate can be overwhelming, requiring Nichols to plan ahead and be proactive to bring out the best in her students.

“It is a lot of time management,” Nichols said. “It’s a lot of sacrificing a lot of my out-of-school time as well, because both can require a lot of time. The kids are also constantly putting themselves on the line in a lot of different ways. It’s very chaotic and stressful, but also very rewarding at the same time.”

Nichols’ hard work and determination in managing debate and AP Government do not go unnoticed. Melissa McLaughlin, a fellow U.S. government teacher, has seen how Nichols dedicates herself to her duty as an AP government teacher and debate adviser. 

“One of the things that people overlook is her dedication to her job,” McLaughlin said. “I think that she makes it look easy at times; people really depend on her a lot.”

Speech and debate are not solely about winning competitions; they provide students with a time and space to dive into topics that they previously had little to no knowledge of. Nichols has described this aspect of debate as being one of her favorite parts of coaching debate. 

 “What I enjoy most about speech and debate is the platform it gives most students,” Nichols said. “[I like] the way it allows them to share their experiences and speak out against things they see in action. It allows for debate people to research new topics [and] have more communication.”

Debate has not just changed Nichols; it has had a major impact on her students, who have found community and belonging in debate. Donovan Maule, the Lincoln-Douglas Captain for 11th grade in debate, has expressed how debate has made a positive impact on his life not only here at EMHS but outside of the classroom as well.

“Debate has genuinely changed my life,” Maule said. “The second I joined high school, I gained a new group of friends through competition, a new level of interaction with politics through the bi-monthly topics and the ability to advocate for those politics through every round. Without those things, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.”

Although taking over the debate program and teaching AP Government proved to have its difficulties and stressors, Nichols continues to have optimism for the debate team’s future and enjoys the challenges it brings.

Contact Erin Hamm at [email protected]