On Oct. 4, the debate team, led by debate and AP U.S. History teacher Derek Heath, participated in their first tournament of the season. They were competing against other schools in Oregon, including Sam Barlow, Cleveland and Franklin.
Before this, Cleveland was the first in the state. The McDaniel team placed first overall, and many individual students from the team ranked as champions. At a debate tournament, being a champion can mean either being first in their debate section or contributing to the team’s overall victory.
“It was the best first tournament we’ve ever had. It was awesome,” Heath commented when asked how it was compared to other years.
The debate team is quite large, which gives them more flexibility in competition.
“In a way, our team has an advantage over other schools. Having more kids means that our team members can choose which event they want to do in the actual tournament,” Heath added. “Some examples of those events are public forms, speech events, poetry, and on-demand research and argument.”
Senior Matilda Foster, one of the debate team’s champions and captains, commented on the overall group and why she thinks being a debate student is incredible. When discussing working with other people, she said, “You get such a breadth of knowledge.”
She continued to discuss the various experiences in the debate room and how it serves as a creative space. She expressed enjoyment and strength in team bonding.
“I feel like kids actually care about things in our world. It’s really quite refreshing,” Foster added.
Heath and Foster both discussed how much they appreciate the community. Heath said while they cover a lot of serious topics, they still have a lot of time to goof off.
In order to prepare, the team has practices on Mondays and Tuesdays. To prepare directly before a tournament, they have a buddy system.
Another student, Sloane Sally, a junior on the debate team, commented on these routines.
“Before tournaments, we still have the same practices, but we spend a lot more time collaborating and reading over people’s cases and speeches, just so we all feel confident in the tournament coming up. It can be kind of stressful, but I’ve always found it kind of fun,” she said.
They also do group whiteboard work, where the group gathers and critiques every debate piece to find leads and advantages in answering, and where they might go wrong.
On the fun side of preparation, they also have a group sleepover. If they reach champion level, Heath will take them out for a special meal. If they win the tournament, they get to dye Heath’s hair.
The school has held a national tournament belt for years, which is won at each tournament. During their most recent home competition, our team once again kept the belt.
