VACCINE MANDATES

Debate Club Meeting Recap

On December 2nd, 2024, the Debate Club held its third official debate. Two groups, 5 and 6, cordially debated on the prompt, "Should Vaccines be mandatory?"

DEBATE CLUB MEMBERS.

PHOTO CREDITS: AZI SOLIS [MEDIA OFFICER]

This past Monday,  the Debate Club hosted its third official debate. Two internal groups within the club, 5 and 6, represented the affirmative and negative to their prompt. That prompt was, "Should Vaccines be Mandatory?". After about an hour of debate and deliberation, a verdict was reached, and the discussion overall was a success. The meeting was tough and filled with passion, a great sign for the club as a whole.

The members themselves chose the debate topic at the prior meeting, and their passion for the topic showed at this meeting. The two groups used their time wisely, assigning members to tackle different points and outlooks they wanted to express to the room. Expressing your emotions and logic to the room is crucial, as the debate club members are the ones who will deliberate the verdict at the end.

One member to highlight is Mark Belfleur, who due to his great points and rebuttals made (speaking multiple times) won the "Member of the Meeting" award!

"It was a close decision between Mark and someone on the opposing team, but what set Mark over the edge is the fact that he provided information and discussions for his team both during their 15 minutes of allocated point-making and as well as rebuttals," said Debate Club President Alan Mowle at the end of the meeting.

Debate Club Freshman Representative Ysalba Tejada was asked by Mowle after the meeting if she could "Reflect on the passion shown in the meeting." Tejada started by addressing her interest beforehand, stating, "I was looking forward to this debate as from the beginning, I got the feeling that the two teams were gonna kill it, but I definitely was not expecting that." She admitted how, while listening to the two teams speak, she was "Amazed by their performance. Their voices were clear, and they spoke with so much passion."

The debate was once again a success, and the future of the club continues to grow strong. In the end, Team 6 (AFFIRMATIVE) won the debate with their stance that vaccines should be mandated. Congratulations! 

Special shoutout to media officer Azi Solis for her amazing photography at this meeting. Unfortunately, she was the only media officer at this meeting, yet she rose to the occasion and darted across the room throughout the entirety of the debate, capturing all the moments shown and beyond. Debate Club advisor Mr.Costello had to admit that she is simply "incredible."

Stay tuned for next week's edition of the Union High School Law & Debate Journal.