In its inaugural year, theΒ MVPS Middle School Debate team scored big at the Atlanta Urban Debate League Tournament this weekend. All four debaters, Nick Schab, Jenny Long, Ricardo Ruiz and Will HudsonΒ competed in their first Junior Varsity level debates – in a tournament with more than 200 other competitors from area schools such as Pace Academy, Woodward Academy, Inman Middle School and more.
Every year, there is one topic that isΒ debated across the country by both Upper and Middle School debate teams in eachΒ state. This year’s topic is the role of the NSA and whether the United States Federal Government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance. Students must understand the evidence for both sides (affirmative and negative) of the argument: is the country more secure with the surveillance conducted by the NSA, or are privacy rights being violated at the expense of information gathering?
AllΒ students were scored based on individual speaker performance as well as team performance, with Ricardo Ruiz placing 20th, Nick Schab placing 6th and Jenny Long placing 4th. Β The team of Long-Schab placed 2nd, continuing their year-long streak of top 20 tournament rankings.
“Debate requires me to see the issue from both sides, work with my debate partner to make a complete argument and think on my feet. It’s also a lot of fun to win a debate based on how well you position the facts,” says eighth grader, Nick Schab.
“Debate requires me to see the issue from both sides, work with my debate partner to make a complete argument and think on my feet. It’s also a lot of fun to win a debate based on how well you position the facts,” says eighth grader, Nick Schab.
Notably, the Atlanta Urban Debate League awarded new MVPS Middle School Debate Coach, Matt Bedsole,Β The Coaches Award for his dedication and success with the team. Bedsole shares, “Mount Vernon DebateΒ had a tremendous year so far thanks to the hard work and dedication made by the team.Β Debate is more than just arguing – it’s like chess vs. tic-tac-toe, and I think we get that more that most teams. I’veΒ hadΒ the privileged opportunity to watch our teamΒ progressΒ in this stimulatingΒ activity of debate and I thinkΒ we’ve got a bright future moving forward.”
Congratulations to the MVPS Middle School Debate Team!
