Participate in Debate!

Ms447 has a diverse selection of clubs, ranging from the drama club to the boys basketball team, and recently they welcomed a new club into the mix, the debate team! 

Debating is a long history that dates back to Ancient Greece. The modern forms of debate originated in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. People used debate (and still do) to come up with solutions to questions that no one had answers for. 

In debate there is a structure. Typically each team has three members, and everyone is placed in a certain spot on the team (first, second and third). In debate you have to be prepared with a statement speech and a rebuttal. A statement speech is the speech that introduces what your team supports. Now, a rebuttal is different from a statement speech. A rebuttal is the response to the other team's statement, so in a debate you have to have a structured debate or you're set out for failure. At MS 447, the debate structure is the same. 

A team has to be prepared with two speeches (statement speech and rebuttal, as well as the conclusion etc). A student on the debate team gets the advantage of traveling to compete against other schools. This gives you the opportunity to get better at the craft of debating. 

One example of a debate is the classic school uniform debacle. One side (the con) believes that school uniforms are a negative representation of the students, and the other side (the pro) believes that school uniforms are a good way to have a structured school. Either side will start with their introduction/claim, giving context into what they will be talking about, and then their statement speech, stating their argument. The other side will state their reasoning, until the debate comes to a close and one of the teams takes the victory.

If you are thinking of joining the debate club, here are some things you should know before joining. The meetings are held every Tuesday from 3:00-4:00. The teacher who runs the debate club is Mrs. E. She is also an ELA teacher for 7th grade. “The debate team helps students express their opinions and work with different things. And in real life, the debate team can help you work through things,” said Ingrid Martinez from 705, who believes that the debate team can be a resource for experiences outside of school as well. “With the debate team you can experience things that you generally wouldn’t get the opportunity to experience,” said Maria Olivos from 702. She agrees that the debate team is an amazing experience and that you get to use the things you learn in debate club for things later on in your life.

The debate team can build character and give you an opportunity to speak your mind! It can help you with team building and strategizing. With debate, the goals are endless!