Benefits of Debate

Study after study demonstrates the positive effect that competing in high school debate can have on our nation’s youth. Students that participate in high school debate enhance their skills in writing, reading, critical thinking, persuasion, and research.

Debate...

• ...improves critical thinking for students that compete in high school debate, as opposed to students that take public speaking courses. (According to a 1999 quantitative study by Allen, Berkowitz, Hunt and Louden)

• ...helps economically disadvantaged students.  Numerous Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs) have been set up that bring debate to inner-city schools.  Many UDLs fund inner city teams to attend The Glenbrooks, a national tournament hosted by the debate teams of Glenbrook North and South.

• ...enables significant improvements in test scores for reading comprehension amongst high school students that competed in debate. (According to a 2004 study done by University of Missouri Kansas-City professor Linda Collier)

• ...teaches leadership skills.  Many famous individuals, such as Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Stephen Breyer, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Presidents Bill Clinton, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter, and hundreds of Congresspeople have been competitive debaters.

• ...is one of the leading activities that CEOs from Fortune 500 companies are impressed with when hiring candidates for employment. (According to a 2004 article in USA Today)

Testimonials

Take it from the best!

"Debate is the most important thing I ever did. It completely changed the trajectory of my life by introducing me to a world of people interested in thinking critically about the most important problems the world is facing. There is no other activity where you can travel thousands of miles to have your skills tested against the smartest students in the country. It also provides so much experience in public speaking in front of an audience that you'll never be stressed about public speaking again. In my scientific career, I've found myself teaching classes and giving presentations in front of many different audiences, and each time I'm thankful that debate taught me to speak with confidence and think quickly on my feet. None of this would have been possible without the opportunities provided by GBS debate."

- Chris Callahan (GBS '14, Northwestern '18). Callahan is now a climate scientist and professor at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. 

"Participating in debate at GBS was a life-changing experience. Traveling across the country for tournaments exposed me to new places and people, expanding my worldview. Arguing various perspectives cultivated my passion for the law and set me on a track to enter the legal profession. The friends I met in high school debate were some of my closest friends many of whom I am still friends with to this day. Further, debate gave me confidence as well as public speaking and research skills that I continue to use to this day and will continue to use for the rest of my life."

- Ana Arzoumanidis (GBS '24, Dartmouth '28). Among other collegiate activities, Arzoumanidis is now a Student Internship Advisor at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College.

"Debating at GBS was the most formative and important experience of my life. I was taught extremely valuable and unique methods of thinking, writing, speaking, and persuasion that I have relied on every day since I graduated.  There is no activity in America that better positions you for academic and professional success, and no high school in America that does it better than South."

- Brian Roche (GBS '16, University of Michigan '20). Roche is now a Foreign Service Officer at the United States Department of State.

"Debating in high school for Glenbrook South laid the foundation for me to debate in college for the University of Michigan. Debate developed my strategic thinking, teaching me how to be detail-oriented, yet disciplined. I learned how to engage with complex issues, listen to opposing perspectives, and structure my thoughts throughout public speeches. These abilities are lifelong skills that I apply to my professional and personal life. I even formed meaningful friendships along the way. My participation in policy debate led me to major in Public Policy. Policy debate enhanced my research and writing skills, so that I could independently identify how policies and regulations impact numerous industries. Policy debate's feature of 'switching sides' helped me find empathy in negotiations, either through active listening to create commonalities or counterpoints that address concerns."

- Kelly Skoulikaris (GBS '19, University of Michigan '23). Skoulikaris is now a developer of state and local renewable energy projects.

"Debate is an amazing way to learn about the world and the various important intellectual traditions that inform much of modern political thought. I really enjoy the research and strategy elements of debate. I haven't encountered another activity or game that rewards deep intellectual preparation and strategic decision-making as much as debate does. I'm pursuing finance in college, and the process of forming a comprehensive, research-backed opinion on a security is surprisingly similar to creating an in-depth debate file. My funniest experience was, at the MBA tournament, I cut a CP in a pre-round against an AFF that cleans up Arctic nuclear waste and buries it in the Arctic. The CP used evidence from 1978 to advocate launching the waste into space (a proposal that scientists have comprehensively rejected in the decades since)."

- Evan Blitz (GBS '25, University of Pennsylvania '29). At Penn, Blitz is a member of the Wharton Investment and Trading Group, Wharton Undergraduate Distressed Investing Group, and Wharton Hedge Fund Club.

"GBS debate was nothing short of the most consequential activity that I ever did in my life. I might even say that it provided me a lot of direction that I lacked in my life and enabled me to salvage my personal and professional life growth trajectory. It was an avenue to help channel my competitiveness and intellectual curiosity. I find that I leverage a lot of skills that I took away from debate on a consistent and daily basis such as critical thinking, personal advocacy, etc. among many other skills. The times I remember most fondly are definitely in the debate room during 8th period, lunch and after school. I think the thing that I am most appreciative of from the experience is the life lasting relationships and friendships that I made along the way with people all over the country."

- Neil Patel (GBS '13, Indiana University '17). Patel is now a Senior Director of Life Sciences at the Bank of America, advising biotechnology and life sciences companies. 

"Titan Debate granted me opportunities in life that most high schoolers could only dream of. Throughout my years as a policy debater, I was able to travel across the country and engage in competitive, academic driven conversations about pertinent topics. Not only was I engaging with graduate level scholarship, but I was also making life long friendships. Titan Debate specifically taught me how to lead, teach, and build community amongst debaters. I am so thankful for my time with GBS debate and will continue to give praise to a program that shaped me into the person I am today!"

- Aasiyah Bhaiji (GBS '20, DePaul '24). Bhaiji is now a Debate Coach at The Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, IL.

"GBS debate taught me fundamental critical thinking and communication skills that I continue to leverage in my day-to-day life. I believe they provide the basis for the strategy and insight skills that I use in work and life now - building blocks that I was able to foster through continued education. My debate skills also harnessed my love of inquiry which naturally led to a career in research. I made the best friends in debate who continue to be friends today. I have funny memories of going to the world’s largest truck stop and taking crazy bus rides in snowstorms for debate tournaments, but the friends are the memories that continue on."

- Marguerite Daus (GBS '14, University of Pennsylvania '18). Daus is now a nurse with a PhD in nursing science, working as a director in healthcare market research at a boutique insights consulting firm.

"GBS Debate was the most fun and most rewarding part of my high school experience! The team and our busy travel schedule helped me find an amazing community of friends within GBS and around the country. Additionally, debate taught me invaluable research, advocacy, and critical thinking skills that I use in every aspect of my life. Debate is an incredible activity and the amazing coaches and school support at GBS ensure the best version of debate is available to every student!"

- Michael Scott (GBS '19, University of Kansas '23). Scott is now a student at the University of Chicago Law School and a Research Specialist at the Policy Resolution Group in Washington, DC.

"GBS debate truly transformed my high school experience. Not only did I become a more critical thinker and learn speaking and reasoning skills that I still use every day, but I also found an incredibly supportive, motivated community in my team members throughout the years. For anyone seeking an intellectual challenge along with meaningful social connection, I cannot recommend GBS debate enough."

- Victoria "Vivi" Webb (GBS '25, Dartmouth '29). At Dartmouth, Webb is involved in Government and Environmental Studies along with the Sustainability Action Program at the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society.