Debate Team

Marlborough debate

. Our trip to Marlborough for debate training was a great success! Two of our teams won and everyone learned a lot during the day. Kudos to our new and more experienced debaters and to the parents who came along for the workshops.

Thirteen Laurelcrest 6th and 7th graders attended workshops on the following topics:

• The Basics of Middle School Debate,
• How to Take Winning Notes,
• Make Great Use of Your Prep Time,
• Making Effective Arguments,
• The Art of Rebuttal,
• Advanced Opposition Strategy, and
• Advanced Debating techniques.

While the girls were in their workshops, an amazing nine Laurelcrest parents went through debate judge certification training! This is a great turnout, of debaters and parents, for a school of our size.

As a result, our debaters and parents have returned from Marlborough all fired up to get ready for the first debate tournament on Nov. 5 at Curtis School (download the Curtis School debate flyer here).

These are the propositions that will be debated:

1. Cell phones should be allowed in schools.
2. All students should be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. The U.S. should not send humans into space.
4. The United Nations has failed at its mission.

Here are some useful links for the first topic.

Schools Try to Draw the Line for Wired Kids

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3308900

This article, from the Houston Chronicle, is useful for both sides to prepare. It explains the arguments for both sides of the debate about cell phones in schools.

Hold the Phone

http://www.electronic-school.com/2000/09/0900sbot.html

This article will help both sides. The National School Boards Association weighs both sides in the debate about cell phones in schools and shows examples of different policies in different districts regarding cell phone use in schools.

Schools Make Rules for Cell Phone No-Nos

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133208,00.html

This is another article that will help both sides in the debate. Reporter Catherine Donaldson-Evans shows how schools are reacting to cell phones in schools and what some of the consequences of restricting phones might be. She also shows that regulations may be more effective than a simple ban on phones.

High-tech cheating comes to high schools

http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0509/24/0scho-325779.htm

This article will mostly help the opposition. The author, reporting for The Detroit News, shows that there is a concern that cell phones will allow students to cheat more easily.