PHS English teacher and debate coach, Brenda Moreno’s door is always open to her debaters. When I was at a low point with my depression last year, Moreno was my rock. She sat me down and talked to me about anything that she could do to support me. She put me first and made accommodations for me within the team, and she made it a point to check in with me often. She is vital to every aspect of the debate team, from supporting us emotionally, to making our team run and inspiring us.
Brenda Moreno, is completely committed to improving the debate team and she has made sacrifices in order to do so.

“Moreno is the only coach this year, and I wanted to help her out,” debate team manager Paige Loessey said. “I knew that she’d have way more work to do, so I’m trying to take off some of the pressure.”

Currently the Palatine debate team only has one coach, meaning all of the responsibility falls upon Moreno. Because she is so well liked, a student stepped up into a role that did not exist before, in order to alleviate some of the workload.

“This year she’s actually not doing grad. school until second semester, so she can be at all three practices each week and able to put all of her free time into debate,” Palatine high school debater Shruti Satish said. “I think that’s super amazing and super dedicated.”

Moreno is constantly working hard to elevate the debate team and has set aside some of her own ambitions in order to give everything to the students on the team. Her dedication to the team inspires the debaters.

“Any of Moreno’s ambitions, I think that’s definitely something that drives me to put more time and effort into and to dedicate myself a lot more to debate,” PHS senior debate captain Gabrielle Cervantes said. “I really don’t want to let Moreno down and that’s definitely a big part of it.”

Students are not only motivated by their own desire to succeed, they also strive to make their coach proud. Debaters see how hard Moreno works and how much of herself she pours into the team, and they want to ensure that her efforts pay off.

“She’s my mom,” Cervantes joked. “She’s more than just a coach that I view as strictly an authority figure, I also see Moreno as someone I can reach out to and someone who I feel like I can trust.”

Moreno has a close and unique relationship with each member of the debate team. She constantly makes herself available, not only for coaching but for emotional support.