ALLENTOWN — In ancient times, 13- and 14-year-olds were ruling countries. Today, most people have to wait until adulthood before they even have a chance to make a significant contribution to society.
Two Stone Bridge Middle School teachers have realized that today’s youth has much to say about current events and a variety of other topics. They may not have the power to give young people a presidency or a throne, but teachers Judi Hoffman and Dee Burek have provided them with a new forum for expressing their ideas.
“Debate and discourse are alive and well in all areas of our lives,” Hoffman said. “Stone Bridge Middle School has now given debate a forum to thrive.”
The English-Speaking Union of the United States sent requests to schools in May for starting a middle school debate league in Monmouth County. Hoffman and Burek expressed an interest and the union flew in its head of speech and debate, Jason Vit, from England to work with the Stone Bridge sixth-graders.
“The students were treated to a wonderful workshop that had them begging for more chances to debate,” Burek said.
After three other schools in Monmouth County expressed interest, the Garden State Debate League formed in June. The league will help students develop speaking, thinking and listening skills. Students who debate also develop sophisticated knowledge about a wide range of current events and complex ideas, according to Burek.
Burek and Hoffman believe preparing for debates will provide students with incentive to read above their grade level and will strengthen their reading comprehension and summarization skills. Debate also helps build character by giving students confidence in various speaking situations and by helping them develop assorted speaking techniques. Burek is teaching debate in a full-semester elective class at Stone Bridge this year.
“Students in debate class will learn how to debate and be offered the chance to participate in the tournaments scheduled during the year,” Burek said. “Students who did not get into the debate class will also be able to participate in the tournaments. They have to attend mini-sessions of debate on Wednesday during their compass period.”
Both Burek and Hoffman teach the mini-sessions. They are seeking parents and other volunteers to judge debates at the tournaments. The Middle School Public Debate Program requires judges to be at least 16 years old and to be trained. There is a training session scheduled 6-9 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Stone Bridge Middle School.
“High school students are welcome,” Burek said.
The first debate tournament will take place at the school the next day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Future tournaments have been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 28, March 3 andApril 21, with the first two held in locations to be determined and the last for the national championship in California. There may also be a tournament on April 28 before the Garden State Debate League Championship on June 2.
Burek will receive the topics for each tournament about three weeks before the scheduled event.
“Students will work together to prepare their research, arguments, refutation and rebuttals,”
Burek said. “In class, they will have time to practice debating all five topics.”
Students enter the tournaments on teams of three that participate in five debates.
“At the end of each debate, they will know the outcome and get immediate feedback regarding their individual performance,” Burek said. “Then off to the next debate.”
Burek encouraged community members to attend the Oct. 22 event because it is the first Middle School Public Debate Tournament in New Jersey.
“We may have a future president in our midst. They have to start somewhere,” she said. “We know that many families regularly attend soccer tournaments. We hope that many will choose to attend the debate tournament that will exercise and enrich the minds of our students.”
For more information about the upcoming tournament or to learn more about being a judge, contact Dee Burek at 609-269- 7292, ext. 5416, or [email protected].