Bleary-eyed Friars are dressed up in suits, clutching cups of coffee, shivering outside the link at …6:00 a.m. on a Saturday?!? Who are these crazy kids? They must be the Fenwick debate team!

Fenwick’s debate team is a special student activity. We do 3 varieties of debate: Lincoln-Douglas, Student Congress, and Public Forum. Student Congress requires student to submit legislation they have written themselves to be debated at a tournament a month later. All participating schools also submit legislation, and the debaters research the issues on both sides of all bills. Only an authorship speech can be written in advance; all other speeches have to be done on the fly, though they do need evidence. On our Congress team, the more the merrier. We like to take 20 Friars to a tournament.

Public forum is based on the “talking heads” debate shows you see on TV. Two teams of two debaters clash on a proposition that varies every month. We have debated Wal-Mart, international relations, the death penalty, and college admissions, to name a few topics. Teams need cases on both sides, but a coin flip at the beginning of the round determines which case they use and speaking order. Fenwick has done well at Public Forum, and those who participate agree – this is fun! You can be judged by …your hockey coach, your English teacher, or your mom or dad! Public Forum develops a debater’s ability to convince a reasonable person.

Lincoln-Douglas is the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow of student debate events. The logical, philosophically rigorous format duplicates the historic confrontation between the Illinois senate candidates of 1860 that changed the course of American history. Students research a topic that changes every two months, and should use each side evenly in a competition. The debater stands alone against a lone opponent, and wins on logic, thoroughness, and philosophical consistency.

What all debate formats have in common is that they help students develop superb communication skills, both orally and in written work. Debaters often do better in school, and become much better writers.

If you like to argue, and you’ll work at being prepared to win, join the debate team!

Mrs. Mary Beth Logas and Mr. John Paulett are the moderators.