As a member of the Denver Urban Debate League, Mapleton students have the opportunity to learn and achieve through competitive debate and speech activities. Students may participate in the following activities:

• Debate: Students learn how to argue, rebut arguments, research, and think quickly.
• Congress: Students write and persuasively argue legislation in a congressional chamber.
• Speech: Students can choose to participate in a variety of events. Impromptu (Responding immediately and quickly to a prompt), Drama (Performing a dramatic monologue or paired performance), Slam Poetry (Perform an original piece of poetry or verse), Informational Speaking (Present, demonstrate and inform the audience), Oratory (Pick a topic, create a speech, perform and impress the judges)  

In 2015, Mapleton's Speech and Debate Team took home the League Champion trophy. Mapleton's top varsity debate team also attended the National Tournament in San Francisco. Alumni from Mapleton's speech and debate team are currently attending Stanford, MIT, Yale and other prestigious universities. In 2015, coach Josh Hirsch was named Coach of the Year. Current Mapleton Students have earned some of the highest honors in the debate league, including representing Denver at the national debate competition.