From 1981 to 2000, Auburn High School established itself as a powerhouse in the world of speech and debate, dominating state competition while sending dozens of students to the national stage. What began as a small team of just 12 students quickly grew into a program of 150, a number it maintained for nearly two decades.

During this remarkable span, Auburn captured 15 state championships across multiple events, including Cross-Examination Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Student Congress, and various speech categories. The program also claimed four district sweepstakes titles and was honored four times by the National Forensic League as a Leading Chapter. In all, 38 Auburn students qualified for the national tournament, with three placing in the top 10 in the nation.

The driving force behind Auburn’s success was longtime director Mike Burton. With more than 35 years of coaching experience, Burton became one of the most respected figures in forensics. His leadership and teaching excellence earned him a long list of honors, including four Distinguished Service Awards from the National Forensic League, Section 8 Outstanding Forensics Director from the WIAA, the Golden Apple Award from PEMCO and Channel 9, and recognition as Class Act Teacher from KSTW in 1993–94. He was also honored by Pacific Lutheran University as Outstanding Forensics Educator and by Clark College as both Outstanding Alumni and Graduation Speaker.

Auburn’s legacy under Burton’s leadership remains one of the most dominant eras in Washington high school forensics history.