Lowell Forensic Society

In the nineties, the Forensic Society saw one of its greatest peaks under the leadership of Sandra Bird. Every year in the decade, Forensics made it to Nationals while Individual Events and Congressional Debate saw a major comeback in the late nineties as Lowell students took greater interest in dramatic events.

In the years following Bird’s retirement, Christopher Newhouse, a biology teacher, took the helm of leading the team while administrative and training duties belonged to leaders within the organization. The Forensics team, for a short period, was also conjoined to the English department, resulting in a lack of a permanent coaching staff. In light of these changes, the society board’s student officer arrangements were reformed in 2003 with the creation of the new positions of Congress Director, Policy Debate Director, and Individual Events Director in addition to President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The Directors are team captains for their respective events.

From 2003-2005, Forensics membership more than tripled to 172 students.

Lowell High School was the host campus for the 2012 California State Championships.

Lowell Forensic Society alumni include Yale University President Richard Levin, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, actress Carol Channing, actor Benjamin Bratt, writer Naomi Wolf, actor Bill Bixby, PG&E CEO Frederick Mielke, author Daniel Handler, and numerous academics, writers, and judges.

• Jack Anderson, 1949 Longtime Lowell H.S. Forensics coach and VPA Dept. chair
• Bill Bixby, 1952 Television star, My Favorite Martian and The Incredible Hulk
• Stephen Breyer, 1955 U.S. Supreme Court associate justice; Harvard law professor
• Edmund G. Brown, 1923 California Governor, 1959–1967; State Attorney General
• Harold Brown, 1925 California Court of Appeals justice
• Julia Chang Bloch, 1959 U.S. Ambassador to Nepal – first U.S. Ambassador of Asian descent
• Carol Channing, 1938 International star of screen and stage
• John Heilbron, 1951 Vice Chancellor and professor of History at UC Berkeley
• Richard Levin, 1964 President, Yale University; Professor and Chairman of Economics, Yale University
• J. McKim Malville, 1952 Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado
• Marvin Lewis, 1924 San Francisco Supervisor and leader for creation of BART
• Mathew Tobriner, 1920 California Supreme Court justice
• Naomi Wolf, 1980 Rhodes Scholar; Author, The Beauty Myth

• Lowell Forensics Website