Butte College Communication Studies Department

Congratulations to our 2026 graduates!

Butte Communication Studies and Forensics alumni Millie Kinnamont was selected as this year’s CSU, Chico College of Communication and Education commencement speaker! Way to represent the best of Butte College! We are so proud of you!

For the second year in a row, the Butte Speech & Debate Team wins 1st place Community College at the National Forensics Association Championship Tournament! This year, the tournament was held at Tennessee State University in Nashville and included competition from 70+ colleges and universities, with 1500+ entries!

In addition to the 1st place CC, Butte ranked 3rd in their medium entry division against some of the top 4-year universities and earned 10 individual awards!

Another fantastic performance from these 6 team members!

Julia Irvine
Semi-finalist Prose Interpretation
Semi-finalist After Dinner Speaking
Octafinalist Poetry Interpretation
Octafinalist Duo Interpretation

Madi Wieland
Quarterfinalist Impromptu Speaking
Octafinalist Informative Speaking

Grace Muster
Octafinalist Persuasive Speaking
Octafinalist Prose Interpretation

Abel Chavez
Octafinalist Program Oral Interpretation
Octafinalist Duo Interpretation

David Thorwaldson
Octafinalist Program Oral Interpretation

Our Speech & Debate team just completed a monumental week at the Community College Nationals in Bethesda, Maryland/Washington DC! This incredible group won SILVER OVERALL and SILVER for INDIVIDUAL EVENTS in the medium school division, the largest division at the tournament. This year, the Phi Rho Pi Nationals hosted over 50 community colleges from across the U.S. in nearly a week of competition with the best students around the country. In addition to the team awards, our students earned 11 medals individually and coach Shannan was awarded the Collie-Taylor fellowship award for our region.
This was an incredible experience to be at a tournament in the nations’ capital where we constantly surrounded by and reminded of the power of advocacy and value of speech.

Butte College gala honors 2 alums who turned education into impact Butte College will honor two outstanding alumni and raise funds for students in AG leadership, athletics, firefighting, heavy equipment, music and speech and debate.

For the second year in a row, our team has won the HORNET CUP!

This weekend Sacramento State University hosted the Nicholas F. Burnett Hornet Cup Invitational. 11 of our students competed over 2 days against 20 other colleges and universities, earning 16 individual awards! Several of or new team members really shined, accounting for 7 of those on their own.

The team took 1st place overall and brought home the Hornet Cup!

Full list of awards:
Jacob Toste - 1st place CA
David Thorwaldson - 1st place Poetry
Salona Robertson - 1st place Novice POI
Abel Chavez - 1st place Open POI
David Thorwaldson - 2nd place Open POI
Madisen Wieland - 2nd place Extemp
Lexi Oliver - 2nd place Novice Impromptu
Oci Mcconnell - 2nd place Novice POI
Abel Chavez - 2nd place Dramatic Interpretation
Lexi Oliver - 3rd place Novice POI
Oci Mcconnell - 3rd place Novice Poetry
Salona Robertson - 3rd place Novice Persuasion
Madisen Wieland - 3rd place Informative
David Thorwaldson - 4th place Informative
Lexi Oliver - 5th place Dramatic Interpretation and Top Novice

This past week the Speech & Debate Team traveled to the birthplace of modern rhetoric- Athens, Greece! 🇬🇷There, they competed in the International Forensics Association Tournament. Facing 3 dozen colleges and universities, Butte took 1st place Community College and 3rd place overall! Our very own Julia Irvine ranked as 1st place Speaker at the tournament, earning more individual points than any other competitor across all events. Grace Muster was close behind, earning 4th place top speaker.
All 6 teammates that traveled to this tournament had impressive showings, with ALL earning awards in various events! In addition to the incredible competition, students were able to take in historical sights, learn about the cultural history, and celebrate the offerings of modern Athens. This is Butte’s first showing at the IFA tournament, and we definitely left a mark.
Full award list:
1st place Program Oral Interpretation- Julia Irvine
2nd place Program Oral Interpretation - Abel Chavez
2nd place Poetry Interpretation- Grace Muster
2nd place Speech to Entertain- Julia Irvine
2nd place Persuasive Speaking - Grace Muster
3rd place Prose Interpretation- Julia Irvine
3rd place Informative Speaking - Madisen Wieland
4th place Duo Interpretation- Julia Irvine and Abel Chavez
Finalist- Informative Speaking- David Thorwaldson
Finalist Program Oral Interpretation- David Thorwaldson
Semi-Finalist Prose Interpretation- Grace Muster
Semi-Finalist Dramatic Interpretation- Asher Runckel
Semi-Finalist Program Oral Interpretation- Asher Runckel

This past weekend the Speech and Debate team traveled to University of the Pacific for the Northern California Forensics Association championship tournament. Here, 12 of our team members competed in a variety of events, ultimately winning 2nd Place Community College! Congrats team!

Next week, 6 of these fantastic students will represent our school at the International Forensics Association tournament held this year in Athens, Greece. If you'd like to support them, donate to help with food and transportation costs here: https://www.butte.edu/foundation/giving
Just designate "other" and type in Speech Team.

This past weekend, our incredible speech and debate team delivered another outstanding performance at the Las Positas Talk Hawk Invitational! Competing against 33 schools (including community colleges, state universities, and teams traveling from Illinois, Oregon, Texas, New York, and Florida), our students rose to the challenge and earned 3rd Place Overall Sweepstakes. We’re looking forward to a very busy competitive season ahead!