Activities

SSP Debate PROGRAM

The head coach for Debate is Conrad Anderson. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact Mr. Anderson.

Conrad Anderson has been coaching debate programs in Minnesota since 1986. Conrad debated at Brainerd High School, and then coached there for two years immediately after high school. In 1988, Conrad transferred to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where he debated on the college team for two years, and at the same time coached the Fargo South High School Debate program for three years. After graduating from Concordia College in 1991, Conrad was hired at South St. Paul High School to teach Social Studies as well as coach the South St. Paul Debate Program. Conrad Anderson was selected as the 1997 and 1998 Section III Policy Debate Coach of the year, and in 2002 won the Minnesota State Policy Debate Coach of the Year Award.

Notable Team Honors

The South St. Paul High School Debate Team holds the state record for the most Minnesota State High School League-sponsored championships in Varsity Debate:

• 1944 - Emmy Lou Lindgren & Patricia Lanegran
• 1950 - Walter Nickel, James Sweson, Josephine Gridley, & Jean Wood
• 1951 - Josephine Gridley, Jean Wood, Ronald Brown, & Nic Trkla
• 1953 - John Arrowwood, Fred Mecklenberg, Joan Sevick, & Marjorie Malo
• 1954 - Sharon Schultz, Karen Seeger, Ken Homes, & Robert Rolle
• 1955 - Sharon Schultz, Karen Seeger, Gary Kuhn, & Robert Rolle
• 1956 - David Madis, Sharon Shultz, Anita Pampusch, & Karen Seeger
• 1958 - Jackie Tucci, Linda Leininger, Harold LeVander, & Phyllis Arnold
• 1982 - Kelly Kadera & Phil Voight
• 1986 - James Lansing & Carl Lehmann
• 1987 - James Lansing & Carl Lehmann
• 2005 - Bryan Beaudoin & Tiffany Wang

Other Recent Notable Accomplishments:

• 1996 - National Debate Tournament Qualifiers: Lindsay Francis & Sherene Judeh
• 1998 - State Debate Tournament Semi-finalists: Sherene Judeh & Sarah Topp
• 1999 - State Debate Tournament Quarter-finalists: Samantha Evans & Katie Lundquist
• 2000 - State Debate Tournament Quarter-finalists: Samantha Evans & Katie Lewsader
• 2002 - State Debate Tournament Runner-up: Samantha Evans & Haley Seaberg
• 2002 - National Debate Tournament—5th Place Finish: Samantha Evans & Haley Seaberg
• 2003 - Classic Debate Novice State Champions: Ivan Kowalenko & Micah Olson
• 2003 - Classic Debate JV State Champions: Bryan Beaudoin & Tiffany Wang
• 2006 - Classic Debate Novice State Champions: Erika Jensen & Michael Thury
• 2007 - National Debate Tournament Qualifiers: Haley Moore & Alexa Villaume

Key Club

The advisor for Key Club is Jesse Arvidson. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact the Mr. Arvidson.

Sign Up for Key Club!

Click here to sign up and be part of the South St. Paul Key Club!

What does Key Club do?

Because Key Club is a service-based organization, the main goal of the club is to get students from South St. Paul Secondary to volunteer their time to help people in need. This volunteering ranges from raising money for an organization to helping out at a soup kitchen. Key Club feels that it is important that high school-aged children learn the importance of helping others and helping the community in which they live.

What is the Key Club planning in future?

• Volunteering at a Children's hospital. 
• Working at a soup kitchen over the holidays. 
• Come as You Are with Neighbor's Inc. 
• The shoveling of sidewalks for elderly (maybe). 
• Working with Habitat for Humanity.  

When does Key Club meet?

The second and fourth Wednesdays of each month after school. All are welcome to attend. 

SSP Knowledge Bowl

The coach for the 9-12 Knowledge Bowl is Conrad Anderson. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact Mr. Anderson.

Lettering Criteria

Knowledge Bowl members will receive a varsity letter if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Be on one of the top two teams in at least two meets and successfully complete the season.
• Attend all the practices and all the meets and successfully complete the season.
• In special circumstances the coach can award a knowledge bowl participant a letter.

MATH TEAM

The head coach for the Math Team is Luke Olson. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact Mr. Olson.

About Our Program

The high school math team offers students in grades 9-12 an excellent opportunity for developing their problem solving talents in a non-classroom setting. By competing in both individual and team events, students not only become more confident in their mathematics abilities, but also develop their ability to work cooperatively toward a common goal. 

Math competitions also allow team members to meet and establish friendships with students from other schools. Math team participants will find our Math Team to be both a fun and rewarding experience!

Lettering Criteria

Math team members will receive a varsity letter if they meet one of the following criteria:

C.A.S. Points

Math Team participation hours can be applied to C.A.S. points for IB Honors. 

1. Earn a minimum of 12 points in individual events and successfully complete the season.
2. Attend all the practices and all five meets and successfully complete the season.
3. In special circumstances the coach can award a math team member a letter.

Speech Team

Welcome to the South St. Paul Speech Program. The head coach for Speech is Ceil McDonald. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact Ms. McDonald.

Lettering Criteria

Math team members will receive a varsity letter if they meet one of the following criteria:

1. Register and compete in at least 6 meets* (invitational, subsection, section, state)
2. Have an exemplary coaching record, which entails scheduling and fulfilling two coaching sessions beginning a week before the student’s first scheduled competition.  One of the two coaching sessions may include the Thursday evening team meeting and practice.
3. Assist at least two (2) hours in setting up for (or cleaning up after) one or more of the following events: Hilke Invitational, Parents’ Night, or the Speech/Debate Banquet.

* If a team member qualifies for the State tournament and meets criteria 2-4, he or she will letter even if she/he competed in fewer than 6 meets (an unlikely event!)

Note:  Except in case of emergency, a team member who fails to attend a competition for which he/she has registered will not letter.  Should the team member miss a second scheduled competition, he/she WILL be dropped from the team.

SSP THEATRE PROGRAM

Welcome to the South St. Paul Theatre program.  The Theatre Director is Eric Holsen. If you have questions about our program feel free to contact Mr. Holsen at eholsen@sspps.org.  

For additional information about SSPPS Theatre, please visit: https://sites.google.com/site/ssppstheatre/

Season AnnouNcement video 2022-23

Lettering policy

Lettering Form

High School and Middle School Memory Books

The advisors for the High School Yearbook are Teresa Tonda & Kris Weinfurtner and the advisor for Middle School Memory Book is Jody Sielski.

If you have questions about our High School Yearbook feel free to contact Ms. Tonda or Ms. Weinfurtner.
If you have questions about our Middle School Memory Book feel free to contact Ms. Sielski.

Photo Submissions

The yearbook staff needs your help! The staff can’t be everywhere, so we sometimes rely on students and parents to take great pictures. Think you have one? It could be your daily school routine at home, your study habits, you and your friends at school, or you and your friends at events.

Send them in to Mr. Tonda at ttonda@sspps.org.

• Include in each caption: Contributed by [your name], the names of each subject (person) in the photo, and the event/occasion
• Submitted photos cannot be retouched after uploading
• The Yearbook Staff will review all photos and determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be used in the book.

Thank you!