Community invited to serve as judges or spectators
By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
UPPER FREEHOLD Middle-schoolers are known for their penchant for arguing, but these students have the facts to back it up.
Stone Bridge Middle School is hosting the fledgling Garden State Debate League’s first tournament Saturday, Oct. 22, and is inviting public to come out and watch the daylong event. A training session for anyone in the community who is interested in judging the debates (must be 16 or older) is being held at the middle school Friday (Oct. 21) from 6 to 9 p.m.
”Debate helps students succeed in so many areas,” said Stone Bridge teacher Dee Burek, who, along with teacher Judi Hoffman, are the force behind this monumental undertaking.
”It helps students with formal research, note-taking, clear formal writing, public speaking, teamwork and, of course, gives them the chance to talk,” Ms. Burek said. “Middle school students so love to talk!”
The five debate topics Saturday are:
Homework does more harm than good.
Television does more harm than good.
Chris Christie is good for New Jersey.
NATO should withdraw from Afghanistan.
The U.S. should significantly expand its use of nuclear power.
The tournament begins at 9 a.m. with the first of five 26-minute debates that will take place in the classrooms, Ms. Burek said. The other schools participating, in addition to Stone Bridge, include the Red Bank Charter School in Red Bank and Mother Theresa Regional School from Atlantic Highlands. The tournament will wrap up around 4:30 p.m. after an award ceremony with trophies for the winners.
Ms. Burke said the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students will be grouped on multiple teams (three students per team) and must participate in all five debates. The debates will follow a parliamentary-style format that encourages “respectful interruption” and “argumentative heckling” by the debaters.
For example, during a partner’s speech, it’s appropriate for teammates to slap the table three times in support of a particularly clever argument and shout, “Hear! Hear!” During an opponent’s speech, the debaters can say “Shame!” if they strongly disagree with the speaker. Judges award points for effective interruptions and heckling, but deduct points if the students get carried away to the point of rudeness.
The community is encouraged to come out and watch the verbal sparring, but adults must accompany children because audience members have to be quiet while the debates are going on, Ms. Burek said.
Ms. Burek said the genesis of the whole endeavor began last May when the English Speaking Union an international, charitable organization that works through exchanges, scholarships and speaking competitions sent out a request to schools in an effort to start a middle school debate league in Monmouth County.
Ms. Burek and Ms. Hoffman contacted the ESU’s director of educational programs, Carol Losos, in New York City and with her help brought Jason Vit, the head of ESU’s speech and debate program, over from England to work with the interested sixth-graders in a debate workshop.
The workshop left the students “begging for more chances to debate,” Ms. Burek said.
Three other middle schools expressed interest, and the Garden State Debate League was founded in June, Ms Burek said.
Future debates are scheduled tentatively for Jan. 28, March 3 and April 28. Three weeks before each tournament, topics are sent out to the teachers so students can work together doing research and preparing their arguments, refutations and rebuttals, each of which has a time limit.
The Garden State Debate League Championship is set for June 2.